


Atem x Reader x Yugi Oneshots

by Dejahthoris



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Other, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2019-12-07 08:36:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 72,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dejahthoris/pseuds/Dejahthoris
Summary: The title says it all! A collection of oneshots with different plots and prompts, but all with the same theme of you, Yugi and Atem being in love~Some chapters will have sexual/explicit content but they'll be marked as such.





	1. Too Many Gems (Soulmate AU)

**Author's Note:**

> I know soulmate AUs aren't really in vogue anymore, but I've always liked them and this particular prompt inspired me a lot! Hope it appeals to at least someone else out there. The prompt in question is: "Everyone is born with gems on their arms that represent their soulmates"

Opinions on Soulmate Gems varied from culture to culture, and nowadays, due to the connectivity of the internet and social media, opinions even more often varied from person to person.

There was one side of the spectrum, where someone would dedicate their whole life to ‘reading’ Soulmate Gems. Those who said they could predict the personality of your future soulmate, what they looked like, even in some cases, when you’d meet them.

On the other side, you had those who thought it all ridiculous hogwash- superstitious quackery. They said the gems were a simple genetic marker, no more consequential to your lover or future than the color of your eyes or hair.

Then, still more -a majority it seemed- fell somewhere in the middle. Looking up theory blogs online on what the colors of your Gems could mean, but ultimately just sitting back and waiting for when their match crossed their paths.

It was that third reasoning, that laidback, uncommitted medium, that left you without answers on your predicament for years. The first two decades of your life was nothing but questions, judgments and unwanted attention. “What’s wrong with your Gems?” “Oh, wow. You have extra? That’s...uh...cool.” “Gems on both arms, a symbol of great fortune, be thankful, my dear.”

Why were things different with your Soulmate Gems?

Your parent’s tried their best to give you a satisfactory answer, but they were one of those people who fell in the middle when it came to the superstition and belief in the strange jewels planted in the inside of one’s forearms. They only told you what most people would say about them: “The Gem on top, the one closest to your wrist, represented your soulmate. The one below it represented you. Their colors, shapes, cuts and shine quality were as unique as the qualities that make up a person’s face, and when you found someone who had matching gems only in reserved order on their arm, well, you just found your partner for life.”

The abnormality that came with you, was that you didn’t have gems solely on the left arm, where they were supposed to be. You didn’t even have the same gems on both arms. The two closest to your wrists were different, and under them both were the gems that were meant to represent you.

The one on the left, the only one you  _should_  have to symbolize your soulmate, was a gorgeous purple color somewhere between lilac petals and amethyst stone. Its shape was oval and the cuts to it had rounded edges, as if they had been buffered away to make its whole appearance more soft.

The one on your right arm was both a contrast and compliment to the first. Its color was a deep red that spoke of regality and strength, in the shape a triangle, though its cut made the shape more like a squat pyramid. Both had a brilliant shine quality, bright, with a glittering sparkle that you could stare at for hours.

You weren’t the only one who had two sets, it was not unheard of, but you still never got a straight answer as to what it meant! One side of the spectrum said it symbolized that you were one of the few who was gifted with the choice of two soulmates, destined for a romance worthy of Greek mythology. And still the other side said it was like a dog who had two different eye colors, a simple genetic mutation, nothing to worry about, move on.

The lack of answers was bad enough, but what really made your life…harder, was everything else that came with your extra Gems.

One’s first year of school was always awkward, but having something so visible that was so odd. Well…

_“What’s wrong with your Gems?”_

_The first of the three girls crowding around your desk looked as though she was about to pull your right arm across the table for a better look. Still, you think you’d have preferred that over the strange sneers the other two were giving you._

_“How are you supposed to find your Soulmate if you got that many?!”_

_Why was the second girl’s voice so…accusatory? As if it were a crime to have them on your other arm?_

_The third girl laughed. “She’s a freak if you ask me. Why would anyone want a soulmate who looks so weird?”_

_The other two laughed along with her, and you felt a swell of shame rise in your chest as you withdrew your arms from their sights and tucked them as close to your body as you could. You sniffled when you heard a couple other students sitting at the desks nearby join their laughter. No one felt the need to say anything to counter the remarks. Not even something as simple as: “At least your Gems are pretty!” Nothing._

High school was easier for a while, because by then you had filled your wardrobe with almost nothing but long sleeved shirts and jackets as far as tops were concerned. No one could mock you or ask invasive questions if they didn’t see what prompted them.

But then, there was Luka.

_He was sweet. He smiled brightly when you two got paired for a class project. He was funny too, always cracking a joke between the studious moments. Not to mention he was cute, the way he blushed at your smile made you feel special._

_He was sweet, and not everyone waited around for a Gem match, heck, not everyone even married a match._

_“I know it may seem corny or stupid, but, you always wear jackets to school, so it’s got me really curious.”_

_A whole month of sweet, simple teenage dating passed before he asked._

_“I just wanna see what your Gems look like, I bet they’re just as pretty as you.”_

_His smile and wink made you believe that for a minute, so, you caved._

_“Oh, wow. You have extra? That’s...uh...cool.”_

_He was sweet, and you gave him plenty of credit for trying. Trying to pretend the almost startling mismatch in your Gem sets didn’t bother him, that he was okay with dating you despite the difference._

_It didn’t last long before said mismatch started to feel like a barrier between you two, this impossible threshold that could never be crossed. He was sweet, but you could only handle his fake smile and awkward avoidances for a couple weeks._

Adulthood looked promising. You told yourself that as you matured, so would those around you. Besides, it’s not as if everyone isolated you, you had friends, good ones. Your extra Gems didn’t prohibit you from getting a job, or having a normal daily life. Those few negative instances cut you deep, but things could only get better with time, right?

Well, the thing that truly made you jaded in the whole ‘soulmate’ department came at age nineteen.

_A warm summer day and a nice walk through town on your day off. You hadn’t expected to be stopped by an older lady, sitting in front of her apartment with a fan to cool herself. She looked familiar, though you couldn’t place her face._

_“My dear, I sense such distress in you. Tell me, are you having troubles in regards to your soulmate?”_

_At first, you wanted to brush the woman off, why was she asking such strange things of a total stranger? Then her next words made you falter._

_“I can give you answers. Answers that have eluded you your whole life, my dear. Give me a moment, and I’ll tell you all you need to know.”_

_Well, what was the harm in talking to a sweet old lady? She ushered you inside her home, the place obviously set up to receive guests often. Oh, she was one of those Gem Readers, someone who claimed that they knew the ‘language’ of the Soulmate Gems inside out. Well, you were opened minded enough to at least hear her out._

_“Oh my my, I knew I sensed something different about you._ Gems on both arms, a symbol of great fortune, be thankful, my dear.”

_Her words sent excitement through you, maybe there was something to Gem Reading. But, the proverbial hammer fell quickly enough._

_“Hm, it would take time to properly discern everything, you’d have to come back for several sessions, but, I can already tell that both of your soulmates are waiting for you.” She brushed wrinkled fingers over the shining specimens. “So very very special.”_

_You can’t believe you had almost handed over fifty dollars for the first ‘session’, before those last four words tripped something in your memory. The supermarket, not more than two weeks ago. It had been a particularly hot day, and you had rolled your sleeves up while shopping. Then an older lady came up to you and…_

_“You planned this?!” You didn’t mean to shout, but damn it you had almost fallen for her scheme. “You saw my Gems before today, and I walk down this street all the time, you didn’t sense anything from me, you were just trying to exploit my- my- abnormality!”_

_She stammered and faltered, making poor half excuse after poor half excuse. She was a bad liar, or at least, bad when she got caught in her lies. You stowed your cash back in your bag and when she made a grab for your arm as you turned to leave. You ended up toppling her trinket-laden table over before storming out with your fists white and teeth clenched._

That was the final nail. You had endured all the questions, all the judgment, all the unwanted attention for years, but, in a small way, you had always held hope that everything would be fine eventually. That you would find your answers, your soulmate, and it would all be worth it. That you could find your match and they’d be perfect for you, and you for them. You could be by each other’s sides and finally stick a middle finger up at the world because damn it, if one set of matching Gems meant you were soulmates, two sets meant that no one could question your match, right? Right?

You didn’t bother yourself with such things anymore. You moved on. Tired and disillusioned, that was all you felt you could do. Life was still fine. You had friends, wonderful friends who accepted you and your predicament without judgment. You had your career, and your day to day life was just fine. When a friend here or a coworker there met their matches, you were even happy for them. Things were just fine.

~***~

Long sleeves still being practically mandatory if you wanted any peace while out was a particular curse during the summer. You cursed the heat of the day as you walked the streets of Domino City. You were already itching to roll your sleeves up, the thin fabric not actually helping cool your body.  _“This won’t take long so just deal with it,”_  you told yourself.  _“Besides, I’m sure this game shop has air conditioning.”_

You were currently not a resident of Domino, rather a visitor who was seriously thinking of taking a promotion at work that would move you here. One of your best friends from high school was attending a university here and was all too happy to talk the place up while you visited her. But today, she had asked a favor of you.

“Pretty please pick up his gift from the game store!” she had pleaded, referring to her boyfriend who was having a birthday soon. “I got called in for the late shift and don’t have time, besides, I think you’ll really like the store! It’s cute, and you can add it to one of the perks of moving here!”

So here you were, following the directions on your phone to this “Kame Game Shop” place. You nearly passed it completely if it hadn’t been for the little ding on your phone telling that you were here. It was indeed cute, small, but cute. A little classic bell even rung overhead when you opened the door, how sweet.

“Hello! Welcome to Kame Game, if you need anything just let me know!”

The chipper voice immediately drew your attention to the front counter. The young man behind it was greeting you the cutest smile as he opened up a display box of Duel Monster cards. Okay, not just his smile was cute, though you may just have to put him under handsome instead of simply adorable. Stylish too, his lilac colored long sleeved button-up and purple vest complimented his large, sweet eyes wonderfully.

Realizing that you hadn’t answered him yet, you cleared your throat. “Actually, I’m here to pick up something, a special order for Jen?”

“Oh, that’s right! She called me a bit ago and said her friend would be picking up the decks.” He walked over to the cash register and opened up a couple of drawers as you approached the counter. “Here ya go, three custom-built decks!”

He slid a box across the glass top over to you, and inside were three stacks of Duel Monster cards neatly placed. “She got him cards? And here I thought he owned cases and cases of these,” you mused with a giggle.

“Well, these are kind of special. She built them herself based on decks he’s always wanted and liked. We just had to order the individual cards for her.” The young man waited a beat, while you looked over the descriptions of the top cards, then asked, “Do you play?”

“No, not really. Always seemed interesting, but I never liked the idea of running into those jerk, elite gamer types.”

He let out a chuckle that made you blush a bit for some reason. “I can relate to that. It’s okay to be passionate about the game, but most don’t realize the best part is just having fun.”

“I wouldn’t mind playing if it was someone like you.” The words came out before you even knew you wanted to say them. You were glad you were still facing the cards, maybe the increasing redness of your face would go unnoticed.

Even just out of the corner of your eye, you saw him perk up. “Really? Well, I have some decks laying around, and today’s been pretty slow business-wise, if you’d like to play.” When a second passed and you didn’t answer or look up, he quickly added, “Only if you want to, of course, you don’t have to.”

“Actually,” you straightened up and looked at him with a smile of your own, “I’d like that.”

At that, he was smiling again. Okay, you would definitely have to put him in the handsome category, especially with the way his eyes seemed to sparkle. He held his hand out to you, “I’m Yugi, by the way.”

 

As it turns out, Yugi was not only a wonderful opponent but a wonderful teacher as well. There was still some aspects of the game you were fuzzy on, and he answered all your questions with delight, that smile of his never wavering. He was good at the game too, and beat you easily each time, but it never made you feel discouraged or…well, beaten at all really. Though it was bringing out a more playful competitive side to you.

“Alright, Yugi, it’s on now! I’ve gotten the hang of my strategy so I’m totally taking you down this time!” To accentuate your claim you even rolled up your sleeves, clapping your hands together in excitement.

He chuckled, “Oh yeah? Well, don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a beginner! I want both of us…to…” His voice trailed off as his eyes landed on your forearms. Your now exposed forearms.

You sighed inwardly, he didn’t have to make his staring  _that_  obvious. His lips were slightly parted in shock, eyes wide in surprise. Well, better address it head-on.

“Weird right? The percentage of people with multiples Soulmate Gems is pretty low, but, here I am.” You waved your arms in what you’d hope would be a cute motion, but it only seemed awkward in the silence. You opened your mouth to say something else, but suddenly, Yugi seemed to regain himself.

“Oh! Oh man, I’m sorry for staring but I just- Well I mean-” he let out a shaky breath “I can’t believe it!”

“Hey, it’s not that weird,” your tone was lightly scolding, honestly you were about two minutes away from leaving.

“No- no! That’s not what I meant!” He put his hands up, looking a bit panicked at your defensiveness. “It’s just that you’re-!” Apparently at a loss and looking more ecstatic by the moment, he forgot words entirely and settled for action.

That action, was to roll up the sleeves of his button-up with hasty, shaking hands- and reveal his Gems to you. His multiple Gems.

“We’ve finally found you!” Yugi sounded near tears with how happy he was, but your attention was too focused on both of his arms.

On his left wrist, was a triangular shaped Gem of a rich red. Below it, the one that represented Yugi was a rounded, soft looking purple Gem. Those, and the one on his right wrist, the one that matched your personal Gem perfectly, were all jewels you knew too well.

You were too stunned to do, well, much of anything, besides cover your mouth with your hand. Yugi took your state into consideration, because he let you take it all in, to hang in the shock for a moment, but not too long. He covered the hand that was still on the counter with his own, a joyful tear actually escaping his eye.

“We’ve been waiting for so long, I can’t believe you’re finally here.”

“W- We?” you managed to choke out.

His eyes widened again, as if remembering something, “Right, there’s someone I want you to meet. Someone you  _need_  to meet.” He bit his lip as he looked over at the wall clock. “Do you mind waiting here?”

Not for the first time since meeting Yugi you found words pouring from your mouth before you even knew to say them. “Of course.”

Apparently the shop doubled as a home, because Yugi quickly ushered you to an unmistakably residential part of the building. As you sat down on the couch he seemed a bit scatterbrained, looking about the room and casting glances back to the store.

“Uh, I still have to watch the shop, can you wait here for a bit?”

“Oh, uh, yeah that’s fine.”

Yugi’s smile was back in place and he reached down to give your hands a gentle squeeze, his eyes raking over your Gems again as he said, “I know you probably have a lot of question, but I promise we’ll talk soon, we just need someone else here too.”

For a moment he looked as though he wanted to do something else before parting, maybe he wanted to hug you or give you a kiss on the cheek. But if he did he must have decided the act was too fast too soon, because he did part without any of that, leaving you alone in his living room.

You let out a shaky breath in his absence, still trying to wrap your mind around all of this. Yugi was your soulmate. Or at least, that was the only thing you could assume given your matching sets. But, what of the red pyramid Gem? You had heard from several soulmate theorists that it meant you had the pick of two soulmates, while still others said it was just an aberration that meant when you found your match, it was undoubtedly your match because you had more than two Gems to compare.

As you sat in the quiet, alone in your thoughts, your fingers curled into fists on top of your lap. A moment later you found yourself hastily pulling your sleeves back down to your wrists, finding comfort in the cover. Things were still so uncertain. Yugi however, Yugi seemed to have answers. Maybe this other person he wanted you to meet was some expert on soulmates and gave him answers long ago. In spite of that, you felt oddly...panicked. You had spent so long with so many people who imposed their opinions on you, both positive and negative. Hadn’t you been content with the idea of never meeting your match? Of resigning yourself to never getting a definite answer? Yes? No? Maybe?!

You rose to your feet, you needed air, you needed to clear your mind. There was a back door between the living room and kitchen. You’d just step out for a minute, Yugi wouldn’t mind, you’d come back soon, you just need to-

The door you had just grabbed the handle of opened from the other side and the wood smacked you hard on the forehead. You didn’t fall to the ground, thankfully, but you did stumble back, rubbing your head and hissing in pain.

“I’m so sorry, are you alright?”

The voice that called out to you was deep, almost innately husky even when just apologizing. You looked up, and your breath, as well as words, seemed to catch in your throat. 

The man before you placed a hand on your shoulder, looking concerned as his eyes looked over your face for signs of injury. He was tan, with eyes and hair that looked similar to Yugi’s, though there were hints of red in both. He was wearing a simple light tan tee-shirt, with several necklaces to style it up. One pendant was an eye symbol of some sort, another bearing hieroglyphs and the third being an ankh. Was he Egyptian? Well, he obviously liked jewelry, because to compliment his necklaces he was wearing gold metal bands that covered almost all of both his forearms.

Yugi, you had first thought cute, then handsome a moment later. This man was the opposite. The word handsome hit one in the face like a hammer when laying eyes on him. From the serious shape of his ruby eyes to the more sharp features of his face. But then, when looking closer, some things spoke of a gentler nature, things that said his smile and laugh made him look sweet and soft for a moment.

Oh, you had been staring. Staring way too long because he was now looking at you with a confused kind of concern. “Yeah, I’m fine, you just startled me is all.”

The corner of his lip lifted into something between a smile and a smirk. “Sorry about that. Are you a friend of Yugi’s?” he asked as he shut the door behind him and made for the kitchen counter to set down the takeout bags he was carrying.

“Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that. He’s still watching the store and apparently there’s someone he wants me to meet.”

The man looked a bit confused for a moment but seemed to brush it off quickly.  He turned to face you fully again, leaning back against the kitchen counter. “Well, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Atem.” He held his hand out for you to shake.

You did and offered your own name in return. “So do you live here with Yugi or something?” you asked, indicating the food he had brought.

“Well, Yugi and I do live together, but we have our own apartment. Right now we’re simply watching over the house and store while his Grandfather is away.”

With a quiet ‘oh’ as your only response silence was sure to settle between you two. For some reason you didn’t want that to happen, you wanted to know more about him, just as you did Yugi. Before you could think of anything, and thankfully before silence settled, Atem spoke.

“So, did Yugi say who he wanted to introduce you too?”

“No, he was actually pretty vague, but I assume it’s someone who knows something about Soulmate Gems.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Really, Soulmate Gems you say?”

“Well, I think so. While we were talking we discovered that we have the same…abnormality?” Since your words were even unsure to yourself, to make him understand you pulled your sleeves back. “See? We both have too many Gems.”

Later, much much later, you would think yourself quite stupid for not having made the connection sooner, but, realization dawned on you when he looked down at your arms- and had the same reaction as Yugi. His eyes went wide, his lips slightly parted, unable to speak or take his eyes off you.

Silence did fall then, and your mind finally started to connect the dots as the door to the game shop opened again.

“Atem, there you are! Did you leave your phone here again? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you!”

Yugi paused his advanced into the room when he saw you and Atem standing not far apart, with your Gems bared to him. He gave an awkward but pleased laugh as he stepped beside Atem and met your eyes.

“This is who I wanted you to meet. He…well…” Yugi looked to Atem for help in explaining and, much like Yugi had, Atem chose action over words.

The man turned towards the counter and started removing his wristbands. He paused for only a moment before facing you again. The red triangle whose cut looked so much like a pyramid was present on both his arms, and above them, on his wrists, were the Gems of you and Yugi.

Although your mind had been connecting everything even before that, the visual, physical evidence still sent waves of…something through your core. Shock? Relief? Hope? Happiness? Maybe it was all that in one, but whether it was all that or more it made your knees buckle as a sob broke through. Later you might feel stupid, who fell to the ground in tears when meeting their soulmates? Plural. You had two soulmates, and they were each other’s as well. Why hadn’t that been the obvious answer?

Yugi and Atem called out your name as they joined you on the floor, Yugi taking your hand, Atem placing his on your arms, both looking beyond concerned. At least Yugi looked close to tears as well, Atem’s hands also shook, maybe they felt this as much as you.

“I- I’m sorry, I just-” a sniffle broke your words as you tried to regain yourself, “I just spent so long not knowing. I was told I was a freak, that I was special, and everything in between. I- I just, I’m just so…so…”

You didn’t need to finish. Both of them pulled you in, wrapping their arms around you in the most wonderful hug you could have ever imagined. Atem was running fingers through your hair, saying that it was okay, that you didn’t need to explain it to them. Yugi’s hands rubbed soothing circles up and down your back, murmuring agreements, assuring that you didn’t have to apologize for being overwhelmed.

“We’re together now, everything’s going to be okay now.”

Kneeling there with them, words from some time ago, from an opportunistic old woman came floating back. “ _I can already tell that both of your soulmates are waiting for you.”_ Who knew part of her scheme had been right? You might owe her an apology.

Time passed but it didn’t matter, tears and shaking had settled by the time all of you were finally ready to break from the hug. Yugi gave a watery smile as he brushed his fingers over your cheek. Atem was practically beaming as he cupped your hand in his and moved to stand, pulling you with him.

“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Yugi said as he rose as well.

“It’s a good thing I bought extra takeout,” Atem chuckled as they led you to the kitchen table. “Shall we consider this our first date together?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, a warm, happy, hopeful laugh. “I’d really really like that.”


	2. Headcanons: NSFW/Smutty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some very, very sexual headcanons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, this isn't another oneshot, which is probably what you guys are wanting since I haven't posted one in a while. I'm sorry about that, but these past couple weeks have been extremely stressful for me (actually, this whole year has been pretty stressful tbh) and I've not been able to write anything decent. I usually write these fics as a form of stress relief, but my mind's just been too scattered. Thankfully, I found some relief in writing these headcanons. I used to write these things all the time for my request blog on tumblr and I miss doing them, so when I found this NSFW Alphabet list on tumblr, I really wanted to do them for Yugi and Atem! So I figured I might as well share them with you guys, I hope you like them (and aren't too mad that it's not an actual fic heh).   
> Fair warning, these headcanons are worded pretty explicitly (I have like, no shame, okay) so only continue reading if you're comfortable with that stuff!   
> Also, disclaimer: this list of headcanon questions are not mine, it was made by a user on tumblr who had since deactivated their account.

##  Atem

Note: I didn’t really have a specific ‘version’ of Atem in mind when writing these (as in, if we’re talking about Pharaoh Atem, or Yami), but I make the occasional reference to modern things, so just imagine a post canon AU where he has his own body in modern times whenever I mention something like dildos. (That’s right, not even a hundred words in and I already said dildo, just so you know what you’re getting into here lol) 

##  **A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)**

Honestly, I think Atem would like the aftercare almost as much as the actual sex. He sees it as a way to show his partner that he can be caring and loving and he likes being able to express himself that way. He’ll pull you close, run his fingertips lightly over your skin, and place languid kisses on the top of your head or over your face while both of you bask in the afterglow of making love.

##  **B = Body Part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partners)**

His own favorite body part, while it sounds kinda cheesy, are his eyes. The only people who ever commented on them, instead of his lean muscles, are his romantic partners so he thinks of his eyes as being a very intimate, romantic part of his body.

His favorite part of his partners would be their neck. He likes how erotic kissing and biting it can be, but also likes to just rest his head there. It looks nice when you put jewelry on it, it’s the place you put fragrance on, it’s just an appealing body part to him in general.

##  **C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically)**

For the most part he doesn’t like making a mess, so will prefer to cum inside of his partner or in a condom. If he’s being honest with himself, he prefers to release inside them because it gives him this very primal rush to know he’s filling them up. But he understands if his partner wants him to wear a condom and will go with their wishes.

##  **D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)**

For some reason, I could see him having very vivid sex dreams about his crush before they got together. Like, he’d wake up and be a heated, panting, confused mess the first time it happened, but would quickly push it to the back of his mind and act like it never happened. He’s mostly in denial because he feels guilty for it, like he’s violated them somehow even though rationally he knows he can’t control what he dreams. He manages to keep his cool around them next time he talks to them. But then the dream(s) starts playing in the back of his head while they’re talking and he suddenly wants to throw himself into the shadow realm he’s so secretly embarrassed. Poor thing, someone help him.

PS if this happened while Yugi and Atem shared a body (does he dream inside the puzzle???) you bet your butt that Yugi knows about it and is crackling in the background at his distress.

##  **E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)**

Okay so, I headcanon Atem as Demisexual, as in, he really doesn’t feel sexual attraction to someone until an emotional bond is established with them. That being said I could see him still being very curious about sexual/intimate things, especially when he was a prince and young pharaoh. Sexual exploration and sex before marriage wasn’t really taboo in ancient Egypt so there wouldn’t even be a social stigma prohibiting him from fooling around. That, along with the fact that he was young and attractive and probably had dancers, prostitutes (cos that was also something that was legit and cool in most dynasties), and servants throwing themselves at him all the time... Yeah I could see him having a sexual encounter or two to satisfy his curiosity, but, ultimately figures out that he prefers a strong, emotional bond with his lovers. Also, he’s a fast learner so don’t think lack of experience means anything *wink wink*

##  **F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying.)**

Likes to pin you to the wall or headboard of the bed. Actually, he likes pinning you to pretty much any surface, as long as he can feel your body pressed against his and keeps your face in view, he’ll be pleased. He also likes any position that allows for a lot of skin on skin contact, he just loves feeling you against him. 

##  **G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)**

He’s pretty serious. He puts a lot of effort and attention into his lovemaking and wants his partner to be completely satisfied. Good thing is that all that seriousness really just translates into passion~

##  **H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)**

Ancient Egyptians, especially royalty, were a well-groomed lot, so he keeps things nice a tidy down there. You’d be hard pressed to see him go more than five days without shaving everything below that leather belt. Now the real question, that I want to pass on to all of you, is do YOU think the carpet match the drapes with him and Yugi??? I mean, could you imagine the color scheme of that hair down there???? 

##  **I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment)**

Passion incarnate. As I said above he puts his all into his lovemaking and wants him and his lover to get everything they want out of the experience. Can also easily be very romantic depending on the mood/occasion but I think that usually just goes hand in hand with how passionate he is. 

##  **J = Jack Off (Masturbation Headcanon)**

Isn’t one to indulge in self-pleasure all too often. Not because he thinks there’s anything wrong with it or anything, he just doesn’t get the urge to that much. When he does rub one out it’s usually just a way to help relax after a long day.

##  **K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)**

He’s willing to try stuff you’re into for sure, but he himself would mostly be into some bondage with leather straps, sensory deprivation, and marking/love bites. He’s especially a fan of sensory deprivation, because it’s all about heightening the pleasures of touch to the highest level; and the trust it takes to let someone do that is a big turn on for him. Now,  _ who’s _ getting tied up or marked with love bites? That just depends on the mood. For a guy who’s so in control and is a literal king, he doesn’t mind handing the ‘power’ over to you in the bedroom once a certain level of trust has been reached. 

But there’s something else that’s been on my mind awhile... 

Okay, I’m going to get real deep on you guys, so bear with me a moment. I think Atem would have a bit of a punishment kink. As in, him being punished by his lover. Hear me out! So if we’re talking about a post-canon Atem, I think he has a lot of guilt over how brutal and merciless he was at the beginning of the series, when he was first awoken from the puzzle. At worst if you go from the manga/season zero, he literally killed people, at best if you just go with the regular anime, he was willing to throw Kaiba off a castle wall without much thought. Yes, his compassion slowly came back to him, but I think he’d still have a lot of unresolved feelings, mostly guilt, surrounding that bloodsoaked period of his past. Then if we’re just talking about Pharaoh Atem, he’d not only have the general stresses of ruling a kingdom, but one of his duties is to personally sentence criminals, his own citizens, to very firm and harsh fates. So either way, I think he’d have some pent up guilt, and if he had a lover who he trusted...well...I think he’d get some deep, intense relief from letting them “punish” him. He may not even tell them exactly why he likes to be tied up and teased until he begs for forgiveness, but, deep down he’d know why and as long as his S/O is cool with it he’d have the occasional need to express that kink.

##  **L = Location (Favourite place to do the do)**

Since he likes to take his time with his partners, he’d prefer the bedroom. He’s not opposed to getting down in other places but the bedroom is where he has the most control, privacy, and comfortability.

##  **M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)**

There are a couple of things that are surefire ways to get him hot and bothered. He likes his partner taking charge, grabbing him for a passionate kiss, or if they wrap their arms around him and start trailing their lips down his neck, that kind of thing. Also loves to see them in clothes that drape/hang off their body in a teasing way. For example, if you’re wearing a robe and it’s hanging off your shoulders, 100% expect Atem to slide up behind you and instantly start ravishing your neck and shoulders with his mouth. 

##  **N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)**

He would be okay with experimenting and maybe even lightly spanking his partner if they asked, but I can’t really see him being into anything that has a high chance of hurting you. He hates the idea of causing someone he loves pain to the point where he’d actually be scared of doing stuff like choking or anything too intense in the BDSM realm. He’s brutal with his enemies but that’s the very reason why he wants to draw a line where his lover is concerned.

##  **O = Oral (Do they prefer to give or receive? Are they skilled?)**

Since he’s always so focused on both him and his lover being completely satisfied, he doesn't really have a preference for giving or receiving. He gets pleasure knowing he’s giving it to you and he’s going to feel pretty loved if you go down on him. Skill comes with practice, but, as I said before, he’s a fast learner and will take all the time he needs to make sure he becomes an expert for you.

##  **P = Pace (Are they fast and rough?, Slow and sensual?, etc.)**

For the most part, he’s slow and sensual. I think I’ve made that clear enough in some of the previous questions, but, just to bring it home one more time: He will play with you all night if he can, he’ll take his time and get you off multiple times if you can take it~

##  **Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)**

I can see him indulging in them in specific circumstances. For example: if it’s post-canon Atem (who has his own body of course) and he’s still pretty high from an intense duel, he’ll pull you into a convenient closet/secluded corner and release all that emotion on you. Really though, they aren’t that common since he’s the sensual type. 

##  **R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)**

Depends on what you mean by ‘risk’. Is he willing to bang one out in a public place and risk getting caught? Probably (see above). But is he willing to do things that are risky in the sense that they’ll likely cause one of you harm? No, most likely not.  

##  **S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go, how long do they last…)**

If you count oral and fingering/handjobs as a full round, he’ll likely want there to be a minimum of two rounds. If you’re one and done he won't complain, but he likes giving his lover multiple orgasms so much that I actually should have listed it under his kinks XD 

##  **T = Toy (Do they own toys?, Do they use them?, On a partner or themselves?)**

Will implement blindfolds, bindings, and other aids like that, but I don’t think he’d be a big fan of toys that are phallic or that penetrate his partner. I don’t know why, but I think he’d see it as ‘his job’ to pleasure you in that particular way and prefers to use his body to get you off rather than a toy. 

##  **U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)**

He kind of has a thing for making you beg for it. It’s the closest I can see to him liking anything that ‘tortures’ you. When he sees that you’re getting desperate he’ll lean in, whispering that you know how to get what you want, you just have to ask him sweetly for it~

##  **V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)**

Not particularly loud. He mostly makes grunting sounds, with the occasional throaty moan, and if you’re really  _ really _ lucky, he makes the rare whimper of pleasure. Dirty talk usually depends on his mood. If he’s in a smirky, playful mood he’ll pull out some pretty teasing dirty talk, but he usually chooses action over words.

##  **W = Wild Card (Random Headcanon)**

My stuff under kinks was already too long so I’ll put this here, especially since it’s not really a ‘kink’ per se, but Atem likes sexually themes games (I know, such a shocking assumption!). You name it, adult truth or dare, strip poker- I mean strip Duel Monsters, those dice that have different acts and positions on them (he’s a particular fan of those since he’s a master at dice rolling and  _ will _ use that to his advantage), if it’s out there, he’ll be down to trying it. Then again, I think the best ones are the ones he makes up himself. If you ever pout and say it's not fair because he wins  _ everything _ , he'll just smirk, run his fingers along your leg, and say something about how he'll make sure there aren't any losers with those games ;)  

##  **X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants)**

Okay, unpopular opinion time! In all honesty you guys...I don’t think Atem is all that big. I think he’s just a nice, average sized guy. I know us thirsty bitches like to think he has this massive dong that’s an orgasm cure-all, but I just don’t think that’s the case! However, he’s definitely going to make sure it’s enough to get you off.

##  **Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive)**

Despite stuff I’ve said above that infers he’s an insatiable beast, his sex drive actually isn’t that high. Atem has desires, don’t get me wrong, and when he makes love to you he’ll usually go all out, but it won’t be that many times a week. Twice a week would be about his average I think.

##  **Z = ZZZ (…How quickly they fall asleep afterwards)**

Depends, but it’ll usually be a bit after you fall asleep. He likes looking at you while you’re asleep in his arms, peaceful and satisfied, kissing the top of your head before closing his own eyes to drift off. He’ll only fall asleep quicker if he had a particularly stressful day and the sex was one of those nights where you two went at it for a long time and he’s exhausted afterwards~ 

 

 

 

##  Yugi

##  **A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)**

Precious. He’s so sweet and gentle with you, brushing the hair out of your face so he can look you over, plant a long kiss on your lips, and ask if you’re okay (if the sex was particularly intense). He’ll clean up any mess made and finally plop back on the cushions with you in his arms, sighing contently. 

##  **B = Body Part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partners)**

His own favorite body part are his hands. He has nice slender finders and he likes the way they look when he’s moving them over his lover's body. Plus, let's just say he isn't too shabby with his hands ;D

On his partner, he likes their lips. Not an uncommon part to love, but he likes running his thumb over them before he kisses you, likes how his eyes dart down to look at them when he’s craving a kiss, things like that.  

##  **C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically)**

While he never wants to make his partner feel degraded or used, he secretly likes getting his cum all over their body. Whether it’s on their thigh, stomach, face, whatever. He can’t even say why he likes it and if you’re someone who isn’t into that he won’t complain, but it’s something he’ll visualize sometimes when he’s having a sexy daydream.

##  **D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)**

He has most definitely, 1000% fantasized about your underwear before he got to see you in them. Yugi, while ultimately a respectful gentleman, is a bit of a perv and if you were friends before dating and he was crushing on you, he probably thought about those kinds of things more often than he’d ever admit. And let’s just say he felt a bit ashamed, but he couldn’t help but to let his mind wander while he was alone at night.

##  **E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)**

That’s kind of a hard question. I don’t see Yugi being a fan of one night stands or casual sex, but, he isn’t unwilling to go to pound town early in the relationship as long as he knows there is one. Example: Let’s say he’s on a first date with someone. If he connected deeply with them and sees a future there, he’ll definitely be down for sex on the first date. But, it the other person has more of a ‘well we might as well smash since we’ll never see each other again’ type attitude, he won’t be into the sex at all, to point where if they did end up in the bedroom, he’d won’t really be able to get off. TLDR: If he knows there’s a real relationship there he’ll pull you into the bedroom as early as you want him to. 

So his experience all depends on how many relationships he’s had before. Thankfully, he’s a curious mind when it comes to that stuff, so he’s read a lot about sex (like, proper reading, not just porn stuff, stuff from sex therapists and whatnot) and he’ll have at least a small idea of what he’s doing even if you’re his first.

##  **F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying)**

Yugi likes to experiment and try different positions to find what works best for both your body and his. He’s pretty keen on eye contact so he’ll like positions that give him that, but his ‘favorite’ would all depend on what’s most pleasurable to you since he’s a giver~ 

##  **G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)**

I wouldn’t say he’s particularly serious. He respects sex but he also likes to keep things on the lighter side while still being very sensual. He’ll talk to you quite a bit during to keep the mood lighter, telling you how beautiful you are and how cute the sounds you’re making are. It’s an effort to keep both of you relaxed and in tune with each other. Altogether I’d say his mood is more “sensually playful” than anything.

##  **H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)**

He has some hair but it’s not too much of a jungle down there. He’s been mistaken as a child most of his life so I think he wouldn’t like being completely shaved, but he tries to keep things tidy. Like I said with Atem, I just can’t help but chuckle if I even try to picture that hair color scheme on pubes lmao, so I’ll leave it up to you guys if the carpet matches.

##  **I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)**

Loving, that’s the best way to describe it. He sees sex as a perfect way to increase the intimacy between him and his partner and even if you two are doing something a little kinky, he’s still very affectionate and attentive. 

##  **J = Jack Off (Masturbation Headcanon)**

Yugi rubs one out on the regular, he’s a pretty sexually inclined guy and has the need like most young men. He’s likely even done it in public places (like the school bathroom between classes) when he’s had moments of desperation.

##  **K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)**

Okay, listen, Yugi is a sweetie pie and very loving, but he’s also got a freaky side! 

Like Atem, he’s into bondage but instead of leather straps I think he’d be more into the ‘Shibari’ style of bondage; silk ropes tied in intricate-looking patterns around the body. He likes the intimacy of wrapping his partner up like a present, laying the rope across their body and placing gentle, languid kisses over their skin as he goes. Plus, silk ropes are a lot more gentle than things like handcuffs, and they still retain the ‘power play’ dynamic of bondage since there’s still the illusion of you being ‘at his mercy’. 

Besides that, he’s a big fan of roleplaying and costumes in general (if you surprise him by dressing up like Dark Magician Girl he will lose his shit in the best way possible). Also likes acting out scenarios where he’s the master and you’re his love slave. In general, he likes stuff that has a power play aspect. He likely prefers to be on the top/dom side of things but he isn’t opposed to playing the submissive if you want him to.

##  **L = Location (Favourite place to do the do)**

He isn’t picky. The comfort of the bed is nice, but he’ll honestly get it on anywhere in the house. An office desk, the shower, the living room floor, the kitchen counter, anywhere. He’s also down for outside locations too but only if they’re private, like a backyard with privacy fences.

##  **M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)**

It honestly doesn’t take much to turn Yugi on, but there are a couple of things that  _ really _ get his motor running. He likes being seduced and will be putty in your hands if you do something like this: Say you’re out with the gang, or at a party he had to attend as ‘king of games’, start running your hands down his arms, back, chest, or legs in a very light but teasing way that’ll be overlooked by everyone else. When he looks over at you with a questioning eyebrow quirk and you answer him with a knowing smirk or bedroom eyes- he’s already got a semi going on in those pants. Then if you keep biting your lips and throwing lustful looks at him repeatedly for the rest of the outing…*ahem* let’s just say he will be particularly ravenous when you two get home.

##  **N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)**

He isn’t into stuff that’s too degrading. I mean, he’ll tease you and be playful as hell, but he won’t do anything that’ll cause tears or even get close to that. If that’s something you’re really into, he’ll try it, but he’ll need to implement some SERIOUSLY loving aftercare in order not to feel like the worst human on the planet. Even if he knows that the tears are part of the kink (cos some people are into that) he’d still have trouble doing it.

##  **O = Oral (Do they prefer to give or receive? Are they skilled?)**

Loves both tbh. He won't deny that he likes receiving, just the sight of you blowing him makes him melt inside and he gets quite a rush from tangling his fingers in your hair. But trust me, he won’t let it go unreciprocated. In fact, unless you have him tied down, he’ll likely pounce you the moment he can think straight after you finish him and repay the favor right then. As for skill, he does his best to learn his way around your body, so give him time and he’ll be pretty good at it.

##  **P = Pace (Are they fast and rough?, Slow and sensual?, etc.)**

Speed depends on the mood/location you’re in, but whether it’s a two minute encounter or an hour long roleplaying session, he’ll be sensual. He’s never particularly rough but he will pin your hands down above your head and go harder if you tell him too.

##  **Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)**

He’s down for them if one of you just needs a quick release, but he prefers proper sex. Too many quickies and a lack of proper sex will make him feel like he’s losing intimacy with you, which is something he  _ never _ wants to happen.

##  **R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)**

Down to experiment with (most) kinks and is pretty open-minded as long as you two are responsible and safe with it. He isn’t too big on risk, as in, taking the risk of getting caught by doing it in a public place and or those sort of things though.

##  **S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go, how long do they last…)**

Give him some rest in between and he can go for a few rounds. While he’s not quite like Atem in the sense that he likes super long sessions, he does like to go for a several rounds some nights just to show you how much he loves exploring your body and satisfying you.

##  **T = Toy (Do they own toys?, Do they use them?, On a partner or themselves?)**

Yugi start a collection of adult toys once he becomes sexually active. Vibrators, cock rings, butt plugs, the common stuff, and maybe a few uncommon things. He keeps them (and his silk ropes) in a nice black case that he calls the toy box and they get used on both of you regularly (if you're into that).

##  **U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)**

He's a bit of a tease. I've said before that he can be a playful little thing and that includes teasing. He's a particular tease if you two play the whole “master and love slave” game, he likes hearing the words “please master” on your pretty lips *wink*

##  **V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)**

I’d say medium volume, he doesn’t try to be quiet and he wants you to know he’s having a good time. He’ll have his really loud moments though, usually when you’re blowing him or when you take the more dominant role and have him at your mercy. He also pulls out some pretty cheeky dirty talk, but mostly he just makes comments about how beautiful you are and how much he loves you <3

##  **W = Wild Card (Random Headcanon)**

Yugi wants one of those fancy four-poster beds just so he can the posts/curtain rods for bondage. He just likes the idea of himself or his partner being suspended in the air and all the sex positions that open up with that...situation hehe. Oh, he’s also a fan of face sitting positions.

##  **X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, pictures or words)**

Again we have a nice but average sized dick. It has a slightly skinner girth but it’s on the long side of average so it has the appearance of being rather long at first glance.

##  **Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive)**

To put it simply: Horny, little, bitch. He has a pretty high sex drive and would probably have sex almost every day if you’re down for it. If you don’t have a sex drive to match, don’t worry, it isn’t deal breaker through, so long as you don’t mind him ‘taking care of business’ by himself some nights when he’s really feeling the need and you’re not.   

##  **Z = ZZZ (…How quickly they fall asleep afterwards)**

He likes some pillow talk afterwards but will still fall asleep fairly quickly. He likes being cuddled against your chest or at least holding your hand while he falls asleep~


	3. Spells of Defiance (Supernatural/Demon Hunter AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had this idea in my head for a while and reading some vampire AUs as well as the new Buffy comic series put me in a supernatural mood! I mixed commonplace supernatural lore with my own ideas on vampires and magic, so I hope all the things I put into this story makes sense to the readers (I did my best to explain stuff without boring info dumps). I also took inspiration from the canon Yugioh verse, like calling magic users 'magicians' instead of sorcerers or witches.
> 
> EDIT: Hey! If you're reading this then you might want to know that I actually turned this one-shot into a full ongoing series! This one-shot was turned into the first two chapters of the series but I already have new content posted. You can find it under my profile if you're interested <3

Warehouses and abandoned buildings. Why was it always one of the two? Honestly neither were all that abundant in terms of being empty and isolated enough to be a useful hidey hole, but this one had managed to find one worthy of a Batman villain. Boarded up windows, isolated from the brunt of the nearby city, and not queued for any restoration projects. Good. That meant you could let loose without worry for innocent bystanders.

The creature screeched as you threw him to the ground, sputtering and hissing at your feet, but stunned all the same. The ones who trained you to fight these creatures knew what they were doing when they branded your right palm with the magician’s enchanted seal. It helped channel your magic and you called up a flame bright, hot, and particularly threatening to the fanged thing before you.

"Let's try that again," you asked evenly, despite the thundering of your heart and heat of adrenaline that a fight always gave you. "I'm going to ask a question about your boss and you're going to answer me. Simple as that."

Apparently recovered from your last attack, your target snapped his head back up at you, fangs bared, hissing, eyes bulging, and body taught for an attack. You were ready when he leaped and you threw your fire spell at his airborne form. The screech of pain didn't surprise you, what did was the fact that the beast endured the pain enough to charge through the flames and closer to you! A reflexive dodge wasn't quite enough this time and you felt the vampire's fangs sink in deep and hot into the flesh of your right wrist.

You stifled the shout of pain as both of you stumbled to the ground, him pinning you down with one hand on your throat, the other on the arm he was clamped to. Another surprise came in the form of white-hot pain searing through the flesh of your hand. That wasn't right. Vampire bites didn't cause such pain. You looked over to see the enchanted seal on your hand pulsating in time with the stabs of agony.

 _'What the-'_ Just as quickly as the thought came you shook it from your mind. _'Focus, damn it!'_

Though the seal was there to help you channel your magic, it was not completely necessary and you charged another spell into your left hand. Fire crackled on your fist as you drove it into the vampire's temple. It reared back with another hissing wail and a second punch, this time to the gut, caused him to fly back and crash into one of the half-rotted walls.

Pain still throbbed in your right arm as you stood and you chanced a glance at the wound. As expected the fang wounds were healing instantly, the vampire’s toxin doing its job. Still, the fact that your magician’s seal hurt at all was cause for concern.

No time to think about it now, however. Your eyes snapped back to the vampire. He was poising himself on all fours, a malicious brand of mirth in his eyes as his tongue lapped at the smear of blood on the corner of his mouth.

“Hmm, you taste good, little magician. I gonna enjoy sucking you dry.” His voice was like nails dragging across metal, just an add-on to make your skin crawl all the more.

Then he was leaping at you again, but your willingness to play the fighting game was gone with his last attack. Time to end this. He closed in, likely thinking himself victorious, but you pulled your dagger out in a flash. The silver blade slashed across his face, gouging and burning deep. The pain made him fall to your feet and you could actually hear the sizzling of his skin.

“Fire _and_ silver, a blood-sucker’s biggest weaknesses. Honestly, it’s almost unfair how much advantage I have over you, vampire. Now,” you grabbed him by the collar, his twig-like frame making it easy to hoist him up into the air, “unless you want me to start making fancy burn marks on your skin with my silver friend here, you’re going to come with me quietly. Then, you’re going to tell the Circle of Magicians all you know about Marik.”

He struggled against your grip, his strength returning, though all you had to do to make him wilt was hold the flat of the silver blade dangerously close to his face. “If I talk, the Vampire King will kill me! Besides, if he doesn’t get to me first, the Circle will kill me anyway! They burn any rogue fey they come across.”

“True,” you conceded, “they don’t take kindly to human killers like you. But, if you came with me, I can promise a quick death.” For dramatic effect, you quirked an eyebrow at him, “Will Marik give you the same if I throw you back to him?”

The vamp was sweating now, eyes darting all around, feet weakly kicking in a fit. Then, his posture stiffened, “I have a better idea.”

Much like he had with the fire, he took the pain of the silver and kicked you hard in the gut. You dropped him reflexively and he took the chance to run at one of the boarded up windows. What was he- it was three in the afternoon!

“Stop! The sun-”

Too late, he crashed through the wood and into open sunlit air. It didn’t take long for the sun to ignite his body in flames. He was just dust by the time you got to the window and looked at the ground below. You cursed under your breath, slamming your fist into the frame of the window. He was your only lead in this case and chose suicide by sunlight over facing Marik’s wrath. The Council was not going to be happy about this.

***

Teleportation spells had never been your forte, but you were desperate to get back to the Sanctuary, take a long scalding shower, and dive into your next possible lead, given that your last had just thrown himself into the sun.

The Sanctuary was the headquarters for the Circle of Magicians. It was a sprawling structure, only two stories high but crossed enough square feet to be considered quite an impressive castle. Well, a human realtor might throw it in that or the mansion category if they even knew about the place. Enchantments assured that no one besides a magician with a palm seal, or a visitor escorted by one could enter the Sanctuary grounds. Why they called it that name was beyond you, the place was a haven for no one, truly.

The other magicians paid you and your bloodied clothes no mind as you walked the halls, knowing that unless you were collapsing on the floor from injuries, there was little cause for worry. Life in the Circle did that to a person. Made one desensitized to blood and gore, or just about everything horrifying really. One does not sling spells and hunt demons for a living without such a particular defense mechanism.

Still, the idea of rinsing off the blood was a heavenly concept. Luckily most of it wasn’t your own, but vampire blood had a particular stench to it. You turned the water on hot and had just removed your jacket and shirt when the door to the showers was thrown open. A familiar voice practically shouted your name as a brunette rounded the corner of your stall.

“Mana, what is it, what’s wrong?”

“We have to go, now! They got tired of waiting and they moved his hearing up- they’re putting him on trial _now_!”

Ice filled your veins in an instant. “What?!” How could they possibly-

“Hurry! You’re the only one interested in proving he’s innocent!”

Mana took the liberty of shutting off the shower head as you threw your shirt back on. Somehow, taking off a wet, putrid garment only to put it back on was more uncomfortable than having it on originally, but that was only a passing thought as you bolted out of the door with your fellow magician.

To most, the idea that a member of the Circle was concerned with the innocence of a fey was laughable. The Circle and its members hunted fey who stepped out of line and when one was accused of crossing that line, there was usually evidence enough not to question it. Or so they liked to say.

This time there was evidence, however. The problem was that you were the only one who knew about this particular man’s innocence and the Council seemed disinterested with your testimony.

You had been tracking the vampire cult ruled the mysterious Marik for a while and had busted several of the follower’s hideouts. They were human killers and were trialed as such, but then, you had found _him_. He got to the abandoned house before you, already disposed of two cultists and had a third by the throat when you burst in. At first, he had asked you to leave the situation to him, much to your annoyance. Of course, when back up in the form of nearly a dozen vamps showed up to kill their intruders, he was all too happy to accept your help. Honestly, you would have been in bad shape if it wasn’t for him watching your back as well.

It was a short battle, but he proved himself worthy of your alliance in those moments- but then your own backup had come. Seeing a vampire covered in blood had been all that the other magicians needed to pin him down and place a binding spell on him, so that he could be carried back to the Sanctuary and put on trial with Marik’s followers. Mana was right to say you seemed to be the only one who gave a damn about his innocence.

The doors to the trial hall came into view, but so too did the last person you wanted to see right now. The built blonde was leaning against the wooden doors and he smirked that condescending, almost sickening smirk when he turned his shaded eyes toward your thundering feet.

“Well well, come to watch the show?”

“Out of my way, Keith,” you didn’t bother hiding the hiss in your tone, wanting every ounce of intimidation you could muster.

His smirk only lengthened. “Aw, are you mad that your pet’s being put down? Seriously, why do you give a damn if they put the cross to him? He’s a vamp, a pretty old one from what they can tell, too. Probably killed plenty of people in his day.”

“He’s innocent, the Council needs to hear what she has to say!” Mana pipped up, actually daring to step between you and Keith to glare up at the man. For such a small girl, she could glare like a champ.

“The Council don’t give a damn. We found him at the cult house, he’s a vampire, pretty obvious he’s following Marik.”

You let out a growl and started to push past the blonde, “I don’t have time for this, out of my way!”

Even if you hadn’t hated Keith to the bone since you trained together as kids, you still would have acted on instinct when he grabbed hold of your arm. Fire was called to the seal on your palm and you turned into the force he pulled you back with; using the momentum to ram the heel of your hand into his gut. The contact was brief, but your fire spell had enough to work with and his jacket quickly caught fire. He’d survive, but the profanity-ridden distraction was enough for you to push open the doors to the trial room.

They gave a resounding crash from the force you used, effectively drawing everyone’s attention as you entered and threw the doors shut behind you. The Council was a gray-haired, wrinkled lot, who all donned the same robes as they sat on their chairs, raised high on a platform so that the one on trial felt small beneath them. Of course, even with the trouble he was in, you doubted this vampire ever felt small beneath anyone.

And oh had they tried.

Not only was he bound by the usual enchanted chains, but a binding circle glowed on the floor around him, something that was usually reserved for the most dangerous fey. You were surprised that he could move at all, but he still turned his head at your arrival and locked eyes with you. Even under threat of death, Atem’s eyes looked so calm.

You couldn’t get lost in those eyes now and you gave yourself a mental shake before you could. That’s when you noticed a third precaution the Council had taken to keep Atem in line. A muzzle of all things. The fact that he had yet to fight back against any of his magician captors meant nothing apparently.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” shouted one of the council mages.

You met his glare head-on, approaching the center of the room to stand beside Atem as you spoke. “I’m here to give my testimony to the Council. I stand by my initial report that the one on trial is innocent.”

Silence for just a second, then some whispers, and finally: “Yes yes, we know what your report said. However, since you have yet to bring us a live member of Marik’s cult to confirm that this man is not also a member, we must take action.”

“Hold a moment,” drawled a third voice, looking at you with a somehow lazy interest. “Wasn’t she just on a mission to capture a solo agent of the cult? Were you successful in capturing it?”

Shame boiled up from your gut. The feeling was not unfamiliar, however, the feeling not being a result of the Council’s disappointment was. You didn’t care about your failure in their eyes. No, you were ashamed because you had failed the vampire beside you.

“No. When I apprehended him, he committed suicide by sunlight rather than betray his master.”

The second who had spoken clicked her tongue. “I see. And do you have any other proof, besides your word, that the vampire is innocent?”

Again shame reared inside your chest. You could feel Atem’s eyes looking at you out of their corners. Would you see disappointment there if you glanced back? Instead, you kept your eyes locked on the magicians before you.

“No. But my word should be enough. What reason would I have to lie?”

The one with lazy interest shrugged, “You would not be the first magician to cover for a criminal fey.”

“But he isn’t a criminal!” You tempered the volume of your voice in an instant, knowing that yelling would not make them hear your plea any better. To show composure, you took in a deep breath. “Our duty is to protect everyone from rogue, murderous fey. That protection doesn’t end at humans, we’re supposed to protect other fey as well. Force a truth potion down my throat to prove I’m not lying if you want. The vampire known as Atem is innocent.”

The Council fell to whispering between one another again and in that reprieve, you noticed Atem shift beside you. Finally, you looked at him again, just a slight turn of your head. The muzzle prevented him from speaking, but he didn’t need words, his eyes said all they needed to. The potent emotion behind them actually caught you off guard. Damn, you had only known him a few days but somehow, his eyes had this strange effect on you. Feelings that were foreign to you stirred and you clenched your jaw as if that would keep them at bay. He seemed so…thankful. You just hoped it was enough.

A councilman spoke your name and the two of you turned your attention back to them. “We have taken your testimony under great consideration. However, the other vampire we caught the day Atem was apprehended gave his own testimony. He insists that this vampire is also a follower of Marik’s cult. We must be thorough in our purging of this threat. The vampire on trial will be executed in forty hours.”

“No!”

Your exclamation was lost as the councilman clapped his hands and a boom echoed out from them like thunder; their version of a gavel. One by one the members rose from their seats and Atem was suddenly tugging at his chains.

“Best not fight, vampire,” said another councilwoman, her tone cold as she waved her hand, casting a spell.

The marks on the chains glowed and Atem could only give a closed-mouthed shout of pain as he was brought to his knees. The light of the binding circle around him rose, making a transparent cocoon to further encage him.

No, no! This was cruel. This was wrong! They didn’t give a damn about justice!

“Stop! You don’t have to hurt him!”

The one who was so disinterested during the trial still sounded quite bored as he said, “Remove her, please, before she does something else foolish.”

You had barely even registered the magicians who had been standing guard by the door, but now they closed in on you. You couldn’t strike them like you had Keith, especially not with your superiors right there. They dragged you out with minimal force, but you could still hear Atem’s struggles as they closed the doors behind you.

***

You had never been placed in security details, your gift for fire spells usually landed you on hunting missions for vampires and other fey weak to the element. Still, you knew the prison wing of the Sanctuary well, and it was not unusual to see you there. You used that to your advantage, leaning up against the wall by the door that led to the wing, waiting for the late shift to start. This time period would ensure the most privacy, the least likely for anyone to overhear what you had to say to Atem.

Finally, you heard footsteps and you knew the inspection crew was done making their daily rounds in the cells. Still wary that they might bar you from entering the wing, you took a step back, hoping to go less noticed by the group. The doors opened and the crew stepped out, barely taking notice to you as they continued down the hall, likely on their way to get something to eat. Only one gave you more than a passing glance.

Mahad was head of security at the Sanctuary and, though fair, was one of the more likely magicians to shoo you away, knowing exactly why you were there. He paused in his steps for a second, his blue eyes locking firm on your own. Then, he only sighed and gave you a very pointed look that conveyed a very firm order of: ‘don’t do anything you’ll regret’, before he continued on his way as well.

Even if you had planned some rule breaking plot, you knew there was little chance of executing it now. If his guards found Atem’s cell empty, he would waste no time in telling the Council who he saw. He was a fair, good man, but ultimately a follower of the Circle’s law.

The mark on your right hand allowed you to enter the prison wing without question after you pressed it to the flat surface where a handle would normally be on the door. The cells had a low occupant rate, like usual, but they had still shoved Atem deep within the prison; isolated even from the few other prisoners. The hallway was dark and you couldn’t see Atem even as the silver-coated bars of his cell came into view.

He must have smelled your scent on their air, however, because even though he stood in the center of the cell, his back turned to the bars, he addressed you the moment you reached them. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“It’s not against regulations for me to visit the cells.”

Atem sighed before finally turning towards you. “I don’t want you to get into any more trouble because of me.”

You only shrugged. “I just…I needed to see you after all that. I’m pissed that they made a show out of your trial. We only take precautions like that with high-level fey and you’ve shown no violent tendencies since they arrested you. A muzzle for god sakes!”

The scarlet eyed vampire managed a smirk before his eyes glanced over your new, clean clothes. “You made quite the entrance. Fierce and bloodstained. You looked like Sekhmet incarnate.”

His tone said that he was saying the last bit to himself, almost absentmindedly, but you found your curiosity piqued. “Sekhmet, that’s the Egyptian goddess of war, right?”

Atem nodded. “In a way. She is a warrior goddess, but, also the goddess of healing. Strength and gentleness intertwined perfectly.”

Something in his eyes said that the hearing was not the first time the comparison of you to a goddess came to his mind. Again, unfamiliar feelings bubbled up and you swallowed hard, throwing a very firm lock on the sensation. Still, him speaking of ancient gods of the sands said a lot. Hunt vampires long enough and you get pretty good at telling whether one was turned in the last few decades, centuries, or even farther back. Everything about Atem spoke of an old world neglected by time. His skin, though pale from centuries or more of having to avoid the sun, seemed to have once had a richer complexion. His clothes, though not unusual to the modern eye, had a timelessness to them. Plain cotton shirt, dark pants, and metal jewelry that looked forged by rough hands instead of a factory’s machine. Had he possibly come from the time of Sekhmet and pharaohs?    

“Thank you.”

His words brought you out of your musings, and you had to blink a few times to realize what he’d said. “Why are you thanking me? Nothing I did seemed to make a difference.”

Instead of a smirk, he actually gave you a smile, a soft, genuine smile. He stepped closer to the bars, close enough to stay just out of reach of the silver’s burning effect. “Still. You did not give up on helping me. If I’m honest, I would have never suspected anyone in the Circle would care for a vampire at all. Yet, here you are, defying your leaders and putting your reputation on the line, for me. A creature you’ve been taught to kill first and ask questions of later.”

And there it was. What most fey thought of your kind. Magicians were the worst of police, the kind who kept peace by any means necessary and told the very people they clenched their fists around that it was for their own good. You had been born into that life, spending your whole youth under the Circle and training to serve them. Even with either constant teachings that magicians did what they had to in order to keep the peace, you saw their prejudices and their cruelty for what it really was. Did you really deserve a thank you for being slightly less brutal than that?

“The Council is wrong,” you whispered and if it weren’t for the stone silence of the prison wing, he might not have even heard you.

“That may be, but you’ve done all you can, and I thank you for that.”

Lies. There was more you could do and…and that defeated, resolute tone of his last words made your next decision firm. There was more you could do. You had thought about it every moment since the end of his sentencing. It was the only way and it didn’t even seem that hard of a choice. You weren’t going to let them kill Atem.

You almost acted on the thought now, but caught yourself quickly. You had to be patient. You had over a day to plan, and there were more opportune times than now to execute said plan. Besides, you figured that if you brought it up now, Atem would just deny your help and stubbornly stay in his cell. Await death rather than risk your safety like some damn chivalrous knight. Maybe when he spent all whole night in the cell as a condemned man, he'd be more willing to let you help him escape.  

Again you were brought out of your musings when Atem called your name.

“May I ask one more favor of you?” he asked with some small hesitance. “There is someone very important to me, he is likely already frantic that he hasn’t heard from me these past few days. Tomorrow, could you go to him and tell him what happened? Tell him how sorry I am that I let myself get caught up in this- that I let my need to revenge bring me here.” Heavy emotion had marred his speech and Atem had to draw in a breath to steady himself. “I just want him to know that I didn’t abandon him… And how sorry I am.”

“What’s his name?” you asked, the gentleness in your voice surprising even yourself.  

“Yugi. He owns a magic shop in Domino. He is…very special to me. What I regret the most about all of this, is not being able to see him again.”

You chose your reply carefully, you didn’t want him to catch on to the plan brewing in your mind yet. You couldn’t let him know how determined you were to make sure he saw this person again. Not yet.

“Don’t worry, Atem. Yugi will know exactly how you feel.” You needed another topic, so he couldn’t analyze your words too much. Your eyes scanned the small cell and finally took notice to something odd. “They didn’t give you any blood to drink?”

“No. I was assuming they would wait until hours before my execution to feed me. A last meal of sorts.”

“Idiots. If they starve you too long you’ll go into a blood-rage and they’ll actually need that magic muzzle.”

You had seen enough vampires in blood-rages over the years. It was a gory affair that should be avoided at all costs. Even a vampire as peaceful as Atem would turn into little more than a rabid animal when starved; the bloodlust overriding any sense of humanity.

Not only was that something to be avoided, but he would be weak as a sick child by tomorrow.

The bars of the cell were wide enough for you to get your hand through, so, you pushed back the left sleeve of your shirt. He must not have suspected you to offer, because shock flashed in his eyes when you slipped your hand passed the bars and bore your wrist to him.

“Here,” you had to clear your throat, the words having come out as little more than a whisper for some reason. “You need to eat, take some of my blood.”

Shocked turned into something hard and almost pained as he took your hand and pushed it back towards the silver bars. “No. You’ve done more than enough for me as it is, I won’t take your blood too.” He flinched in pain as the silver burned him, his fangs flashing in reaction.

“It’s alright, Atem.” You pressed closer to the bars, pushing him back out of the silver’s reach, but did not withdraw your hand from his grip. “I need you at full strength and it’s not as if I don’t know what I’m doing. I trust you, I know you won’t take too much. Besides,” a playful grin lifted your lips as you waved your right palm at him, the seal there visible even in the dim light, “it isn’t like I’m helpless to stop you.”   

Honestly, all you really needed to do if your blood tasted too good, was jerk him hard enough to slam him against the bars and he’d let go of you on reflex from the burning if nothing else. You decided to keep that thought to yourself though.

Those eyes of his burned into yours, a silent way of asking if you were absolutely sure. When you answered back with unwavering certainty in your own gaze, his shoulders finally relaxed just a bit and he closed his eyes with a sigh.

He turned your hand so the inside of your wrist faced him and he lifted it slowly, as if giving you even more time to change your mind before the skin met his mouth. You took in a slow breath as his lips parted, revealing long, thin fangs just a second before they bit down. The slight sting was nothing, quickly being replaced with the curative lacing his fangs that numbed any piercing sensation, as well as the feeling of blood passing through the wound.

Even if vampire bites did hurt longer than that split second, Atem had a special kind of gentleness about him. He held your arm in a firm grip so that the instinct to pull away would not tear the punctures any larger, and you blushed when you realized that his thumb was running soothing circles along your forearm just below the bite.

You knew that some vampires survived by making pacts with humans or other fey, offering some kind of service in exchange for letting them drink small amounts of said partner’s blood to survive. You had assumed Atem was one who chose animal blood over a human or fey host, but the way he handled you with such care made you reconsider that assumption.

Finally, cold air hit your wrist as he pulled back. Though, even more heat rose in your cheeks when you felt his tongue dart out to collect any blood that spilled before his curative healed the wound. The hand that had run so gently over your arm moved to cover the place he bit, though there wasn’t even a scar or sign of wound at all now. When he looked up at you, the hands cupped over yours tightened just a bit.

“Your face is flushed- do you feel alright?”

In his worry, Atem tried to step closer to you, but the bars ensured his distance. You were quick to alleviate the guilt and shame taking his features.

“I’m fine, Atem. Not even light-headed.” You paused a moment, making sure he didn’t need any more reassurance, then asked, “Think it’ll be enough to get you through the night?”

“Yes, more than enough.” His mouth opened to say something else, but he must have thought better of it, because instead he only said, “Thank you. Now please, go get something to eat, it will prevent any fatigue or dizziness.”

You actually scoffed at that, “I know how to handle blood loss, Atem.” Indeed, the aftermath of a particularly nasty fight with a murderous werewolf came flooding back to you.  

“Still, I’ve kept you down here too long. Get some rest and…again, thank you.”

***

A brief stop at the mess hall ensured several things, that you heeded the vampire’s worry and got some food in you, as well as make your presence known to anyone who saw you go into the prison wing, alleviating any suspicions they might have on if you had a prison break in mind. Most of all, however, it gave you the chance to talk to Mahad about something that troubled you all day.

After sitting in the chair opposite him at his usual table, you told him about the strange thing that happened when Marik’s follower bit your right arm. You had been bitten by several vampires over the years and the one just moments ago proved that the hot pain wasn’t some new reaction you developed. Though you omitted Atem’s bite, Mahad seemed quite interested in your story. He asked to look at your hand, the one with the Circle’s seal on it, and examined the brand closely.

“I think the chemical vampires inject when they bite a victim reacted to the magic seal,” he had concluded eventually. “Since the seal constantly feeds magic into your body, it likely reacted poorly to the vampire curative, like two incompatible chemicals igniting.”

Well, that had been a good enough explanation for you. At least the thought that Marik was giving his followers some strange new powers was pushed down on your list of possibilities.

After your business there was taken care of, you retired to the second floor of the Sanctuary where everyone’s quarters were. Your room, like every magician’s, was small and devoid of much personalization aside from the stray trinket or two. Shelves were full of Circle-issued books, herbs, and tools mainly used for your job as a magician. It wasn’t much, but at least it was yours.

You knew you needed rest, but too many thoughts swirled in your head as you curled up in bed. Possible ways to help Atem, how you could pull it off and what to do after you did. Several options for both bid for your attention, making you feel scatterbrained and restless.

Knowing that lack of sleep would only impede your ability to complete whatever plan you came up with, you eventually had to get up and take a vial from your stockpile of sleeping drafts. It was a drastic measure, you didn't like how the potion usually…amped up the weirdness of your dreams, but it was better than lying awake all night.

Once it had taken hold and you finally fell into sleep, it quickly became apparent that that particular side effect was doing wonders tonight. In the dream you were still lying in bed, only now instead of feeling disoriented and fitful, you sighed in relief as a wave of calm washed over you, leaving you content, warm, and…excited all at the same time somehow. You were even made aware of how wonderful the fabric of your clothes felt against your body, the garb not being your usual night clothes, but something silken and much more revealing. Then you dreamt of an arm, sliding its way across your hip before a firm hand gripped it. Fingers started stroking your hair and you hummed in delight as something else warm and soft draped lazily across your thigh.

"Are you comfortable?" a voice you couldn't ever remember hearing before whispered from behind. The voice was sweet and gentle, not unlike a butterfly's wings. You only hummed in response as the fingers continued to massage your scalp and temples, so the voice continued. "Good. Now, tell me about your day. I heard there was a trial, something involving a vampire?"

Memories of Atem's plight invaded your dreams. The both of you fighting side by side, his judgment by the people you served, his cell and his fangs piercing your skin with such care. The flash of memories felt almost painful. This was wrong. Why were some scenes replaying trice over behind your eyes? The fingers continued to soothe, and the soft string by your thighs swished slowly across your bare skin.

Then the sense of wrongness pitched to a high bar as something dug deeper. Memories of touring the Sanctuary played like a movie in your mind. Distant voices, the voices of guards posted at the cells were trying to swim to the surface as well. Something was looking for answers in your head. The thing swaying lazily at your thighs- how could you not have realized it was a tail the moment it touched you? And the hands stroking so gently, they had minor but undeniable claws to them!

Your mind was yours again in an instant and so was your body. You grabbed the wrist of the hand at your head and heard a gasp from the melodic voice. One swift motion and you were atop the invader. A second and his clawed hands were pinned down by your knees on either side of him. Your own hands were free to strike if needed- though you noticed your current state of dress and that made you lose an ounce or two of security. The sheer fabric of the negligee sent waves of vulnerability to your core, even as you stared daggers down at the incubus trapped beneath you.

His lavender eyes were naturally large, but they were widened in shock and, though he obviously tried to hide it, fear. Heat gathered in your right palm as you called on your fire, and you kicked your glare up to a ten as you addressed the demon.

"What the hell do you think you're doing invading the dreams of a magician, incubus?"

He wasn't trying to escape your grasp, knowing a physical struggle was pointless in the world of sleep. "I wasn't doing anything perverse if that's what you think." When you cocked your eyebrow and darted your eyes down to the lingerie you were dressed in, he actually flushed a pronounced pink color and looked away. "You d-dressed yourself in that, not me! It must have been conjured up when your subconscious picked up on…my type of magic."

The term 'pleasure magic' hung unspoken but heavy in the air between you two, since both of you knew what his 'type' was. You ignored the sudden wave of embarrassment upon remembering that you had been admiring this particular outfit in a store a couple of weeks ago. That wasn't important right now, you knew he wasn't here for a typical feeding, not with what was flashing in your head just a minute ago.

"You were looking for info on Atem. Why?" You kept your voice and gaze as firm and cold as steel, even when the incubus met your eyes again and you saw his own steel under the lavender irises.

"I can't tell you that."

Oh, he knew you couldn't actually do much in the dream world, but that was okay.

"Fine, have it your way."

You gripped the collar of his button-up in a firm grasp as you began chanting your spell, and that's when he did start to struggle. It was too late though. You plunged your grip into his very being, his life force, and pulled his essence along the tenuous connection he himself had made between you two in order to enter your mind. And just like that, his enchantment -the dream- faded, but his body became more solidified beneath your grip. You had hauled him through space from wherever he was hiding and into your room. Wasting no time once his physical being was there, you threw him off your bed and to the floor.

He hit the ground with a thud, but you hadn't put enough strength behind the move to cause him real pain. Damn, his huge leathery wings might be a problem in your tiny bedroom. His spade-tipped tail swished behind him as he took a defensive stance, still on all fours on the ground. Even with that, you sensed no real fight in him. Oh, he would definitely fight if he needed to, but, something in his eyes said he didn't want to fight you. So, not liking the idea yourself, even after his invasion of your privacy, you lessened the aggressiveness of your own stance. At least you were back in your actual PJ's in the real world, you felt much less vulnerable now.

“I just teleported your ass to the worst place a rogue fey can be,” you started, keeping your tone cool. “Tell me why you were rifling through my head, and I might let you go.”

The incubus did not respond at first, he looked as though he was weighing something in his mind carefully. You hadn’t noticed it at first, the thick curling horns atop his head having obscured some of his hair, but, now that you got a better look at him, the demon bore quite a resemblance to Atem. They couldn’t be related. Incubi and succubi were born demons, vampires were humans made into demons either by other vampires or by dark magicians casting a curse. Maybe they just liked the same brand of hair gel or something.

“You were trying to help him.”

The incubus’ words drew your attention from his face at large and more directly to his eyes. You honestly couldn’t tell if his tone was accusatory or something else, but either way, a suspicion came to mind that you did not like.

“Are you working for Marik? Were you trying to find out how much the Circle knows about his little cult?”

The demon’s brow creased in anger at the name. “No! I would never work for that monster!”

“Then why-” you stopped yourself, another thought popping into your head as you remembered what memories the incubus had been searching through. He not only searched for scenes of Atem but for your knowledge of the prison wing’s layout. You made your voice a bit more gentle as you asked, “What’s your name?”

The man again looked wary, considering. “…Yugi.”

Your posture relaxed even more now and you actually sighed with relief. Yugi must have assumed he was safe because he too relaxed, getting up from his crouch slowly.

“Atem told you about me?”

“He asked me to find you and tell you what happened to him. He didn’t want you to be left wondering.” You crossed your arms, giving him an almost amused smirk. “I don’t think he expected you to use your magic and go digging around in a magician’s head.”

Yugi blushed just a tad again but his voice was even as he said, “I’m sorry for invading your privacy, but I thought you were the magician who arrested him. When I saw your memories of the past couple days though…” He gave you an odd look, as if he was almost perplexed by you, though not in a bad way. “You were trying to prove he was innocent. You fought for him, you even let him…” his eyes flickered to your left wrist and the phantom feel of Atem’s gentle bite pulsed there.

Feeling suddenly embarrassed again you moved the conversation along. “Look, I know what you were looking for in my mind, you want to break Atem out, but I’m telling you now it’s not possible. There are wards and seals all around the prison wing and you can’t get in without a magician’s seal,” you waved your right palm at him. “You’ll just end up getting killed if you try to rescue him by yourself.”

Again his eyes filled with an anger that you already suspected was uncommon for him. His eyes were meant to be soft and sparkling, not filled with hate.

“I’m not going to just stand by and let the Circle kill him! I can’t!”

“Hey, hold on there, Yugi,” you held up your hands to keep him calm, even with your noise canceling charms around the room, if he got too loud your neighbors might hear him. “I just said you can’t do it by yourself.” When his eyes exchanged anger for a soft flicker of hope, you couldn’t help but smile. “Luckily for you, I’m not going to let them kill Atem either. And…your help might make things a lot easier on me…”

***

Even though your specialty was vampires, you knew quite a lot about pretty much all fey races, including the talents of incubi and succubi. They weren’t just good at invading people’s dreams and making your wildest sex fantasies come true, most were also talented at glamor charms. It went hand in hand with the whole ‘fulfilling their desires’ thing, not to mention it was necessary to turn their wings, horns, and tails invisible if they walked among humans.

After a short talk with Yugi, you were assured that he was one who could extend that talent to turn himself, and others, invisible altogether. That was a tool you needed in order to pull off the ‘sneaking Atem out’ portion of your plan. If _you_ cast an invisibility spell your fellow magicians would have a higher chance of sensing it and catching on to your plan. Yugi’s brand of magic was different, It was less attune to a magician’s senses. Like radio waves on slightly different frequencies.

You were glad that you had two endurance potions in your personal stock, you and Yugi had needed them by the morning. Not only were you up for hours discussing your plans but, when you tried to get a few hours rest, you simply couldn’t fall asleep with an incubus so close. You knew Yugi meant no harm, he was easily one of the most respectful and gentle seeming demons you’d ever met, but that didn’t mean the teachings of not trusting such creatures went away easily. Twice you had jerked awake and automatically reached for your silver dagger when your subconscious sensed his demonic energy so close.

You hated it. Hated that they had taught you to kill his kind with little to no questions. It was an impulse and teaching you had fought your entire life. Still, at least in this instance, being able to look down, see Yugi curled up on the carpet with your spare blanket and his peaceful sleeping face made you come back to your senses in a snap. He was so quick to trust you. You wondered if you yourself could ever get to that point.

At least now, in the waking world, you had enough control over your emotions to trust him. He was practically pressed against your back as you two walked down the halls of the Sanctuary, his form invisible to everyone. You could feel his warm breath on the back of your neck and if it wasn’t for the fact that you had gleaned much of his gentle personality the night before, your instincts would be screaming at him being so close to such a vulnerable spot.

“I know we talked about this a lot last night,” Yugi whispered in your ear, wary that the glamor would do nothing to hide his voice from passing magicians, “but are you sure it’s best to do this during the day? Wouldn’t it be easier at night?”

“Night is when they’d expect a vampire to escape,” you muttered back, barely moving your lips. “Don’t worry, Yugi. Everything will be fine. Just follow my lead and we’ll be okay.”

You heard him draw in a deep breath, “I know. I trust you.”

That gentle, easy omission almost made you stop in your tracks, but you quickly pushed it to the back of your mind. Both of you needed to focus, there was no time for sentimentality.

It was a long trek from your quarters to the prison wing and the first half of that walk went by without incident, no other magician’s paid you or your invisible friend any mind. That is, until a certain shade wearing blonde rounded a corner and locked eyes on you.

You cursed under your breath as Keith stormed towards you across the wide hallway. Trying to duck him would just make matters worse, better to address the threat now. Keith wouldn’t do much with everyone else in the hall anyway, you just hoped he kept his distance while he barked.

“Heard your little cry-fest didn’t do your pet vampire any good,” Keith smirked as he came nearer. “But I gotta bone to pick with you.”

Keith advanced and you couldn’t escape. Damn him, you weren’t the only one who knew how to corner prey. You backed into a wall and felt your back press against Yugi’s chest. He took in a sharp breath and, almost as if on instinct, wrapped his arms around your middle. Poor guy obviously felt the need to hold his breath as Keith closed in and planted his fist on the wall beside your head.

“That little stunt you pulled yesterday is gonna cost you, girly. That was my favorite jacket.”

“What, I didn’t do anything,” you defended against his attempt to intimidate. “I’m guessing your jackets burst into flames all the time, better than being on your back all day in any case.”

If the comment annoyed him at all, it didn’t show, his smirk only grew. “Cute. Bet you won’t be cute when I drag ya in front of the Council.” He dropped his tone to a conspiratorial whisper, like a teen sharing gossip. “See, I know about your little trip down to the dungeons after lockdown last night. My guess is your vampire boy _loved_ the company.” Somehow his grin turned even more sadistic, “You got a fang fetish or something? Yeah, that’s it, isn’t it? Always knew you were a freak.”

The arms around your waist tightened and Yugi let out a low rumble in his throat.

Keith’s eyebrows knitted beneath his shades, “Did you just growl at-” He paused, his forehead wrinkling even further. Then his head jerked slightly. “The hell?”

His fist lowered from its spot by your head as Keith turned away a bit. He cursed under his breath again, then stepped away from you completely, looking quite frazzled even with his shades covering half of his face. The next moment Keith was powerwalking down the hall, throwing some half distracted comment about ‘dealing with you later’ over his shoulder as his fingers ran ragged through his hair.

 “What did you do?” you whispered to Yugi, bewildered and still looking at Keith’s retreating form.

You felt the incubus shrug against your back. “He seems like the type of man who doesn’t appreciate gay porn, so, I planted an hour-long loop of it in his head.”

You had to bite your lip quickly to keep from bursting out in laughter, oh, Keith was never going to forget this! The more you thought about it the more you wanted to laugh. Yugi, apparently having just realized that he had grabbed hold of you, finally unwrapped his arms from your waist. You took the chance to dart down a less crowded adjacent hallway and, the moment you were sure no one would see you, doubled over and let out a deep, long laugh.

You sensed Yugi join your side but you couldn’t stop laughing, especially when the thought of Keith walking around, smacking his temples like a hazy TV to get the images to stop popped into your head. He was going to be very traumatized for the next hour.

“I- I can’t remember the last time I la-laughed this hard!” you finally managed, trying to catch your breath. You honestly didn’t, while you had managed to retain a sense of humor over the years, life as a demon hunter didn’t offer much laughter.

Finally, you regained control of yourself, though you flashed a smile at where you assumed Yugi was standing before you stepped back out into the main hallway and resumed your walk to the prison wing. Again Yugi remained close behind you, obviously trying to keep calm while being in a proverbial hornet’s nest, especially when other magicians passed close by. Still, you managed to get to your destination without trouble.

There was no one at the main entrance, but you knew guards would be patrolling the wing, and again, Yugi’s magic would come in handy. After you pressed your palm to the magic seal on the door, stepped inside, and assured that no one was within sight, you shut the door behind you and turned to Yugi.

“Okay, glamor me like how I told you last night.”

While he worked his magic, Yugi’s imagine became viable in a shimmer, though only for a moment. An odd sensation of excitement washed through you as the spell took hold and he was finished in just a few seconds. You looked down at yourself and felt that the clothes were very much…not you. Neither was the curtain of flowing locks long enough to tuck into your belt, the hair color was the exact opposite of your own. Good, the whole point of this glamor was so the first prisoner you spoke to or anyone who caught a glimpse of you here wouldn’t recognize you.

“When we approach this prisoner remember what I told you, Yugi. He may look like an innocent kid, but he’s not. He’s almost a hundred and fifty years old, dragons just age slower.”

You heard the concern in Yugi’s voice when he answered, “He’s not going to hurt anyone, is he? Aren’t you worried that he’s one of the fey who really should be locked in here?”

“No. He doesn’t have a history of violence,” you tried to make your tone reassuring, even giving him what you hoped was a calm smile. “In fact, the only reason he’s in here at all is because of his big brother. The Council was hoping to get some info about him and maybe even prove that he’s been involved in his brother’s shady adventures.” You shrugged. “I don’t know, he just doesn’t seem like the type, and even if was helping out his brother, those dragons are way at the bottom of our ‘most dangerous’ list. I don’t see the harm in breaking the kid out.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t a kid,” Yugi’s tone sounded quite amused.

You rolled your eyes, “Just follow me.”

The little dragon’s less than violent record was not the only reason you were willing to break him free. His cell was on the far side of the prison, opposite Atem’s cell, making the little one a perfect distraction.

It felt wrong to say his cell was ‘nice’ but honestly, considering what the other prisoners were stuck with, it was. A nicer bed (though still a cot), a TV, books, and even a heater to keep his cold-blooded body warm. Whether his special treatment was due to the fact that the Council wanted him on their side, or because they feared retribution from his older brother if they treated him too harshly, you weren’t sure.

When you stepped in front of his cell the youngling dragon was laid out on his cot, arms behind his head and eyes closed. Also looking quite human in his current form, unable to change into his winged form with the magical wards surrounding the prison.

He greeted you with a smug tone, “Day three. You guys are really pushing your luck keeping me here. Big brother’s gonna be breaking down your walls to get me back any day now.”

“What if you didn’t have to wait?”

Your tone of voice drew his attention and his eyes snapped open, their gray depths locking on yours. “Who’re you?”

“Someone who needs a distraction. I can get you out of the cell, and even give you directions to a section of this wing where I weakened the wards that keep you from transforming.”

He sat up, looking suspicious, hopeful, and excited all at the same time. “What’s the catch?”

“Like I said, I need a distraction. After you transform and go crashing through the nearest wall, I just want you to make an even bigger mess in the courtyard. Don’t kill anyone, just draw as much attention as possible before you fly off.”

“Did Seto send you?”

“No, but think how impressed your big brother will be when you come home all on your own.”

Kids, human, dragon, or otherwise, would be kids, and kids liked to look cool. He agreed to your terms in a heartbeat, and after opening his cell and sending him on his way, you and Yugi booked it to Atem’s cell.

It wasn’t hard to avoid the two guards patrolling the halls, especially with your knowledge of their patterns and Yugi’s help.

Much like the night before, Atem must have caught your scent on the air, not just yours though. He called out both yours and Yugi’s names in surprised worry as he pressed himself as close to the silver bars as possible. Yugi finally let his invisibility glamor fall as you both came into view and Atem’s eyes widened when he looked at him.

“What are you doing here?!” He tried to step closer to the bars, looking ready to grab Yugi and shake him for coming after him, but he hisses at the sting of silver.

“We came to rescue you!” Yugi replied innocently.

Atem turned his scolding eyes to you, then flinched slightly when he took in your very different appearance. Yugi muttered an ‘oppose, forgot to drop the glamor’ before waving his hand and returning you to normal. Atem was over the shock in a second.

“Neither of you should be here. If you’re caught, they’ll kill all three of us! I won’t have either of you getting hurt because of me!”

“Oh shut up,” you snapped, “have a little faith in us, Atem. Yugi’s a pretty smart guy and with my help we’ll be able to pull this off- as long as you don’t put up a fuss.” To make your words all the more firm, you folded your arms and matched his hard gaze.

In your peripherals you caught Yugi giving a smile that was almost a smirk. “You heard her, Atem, don’t make a fuss. We’re getting you out and that’s final.”

The vampire closed his eyes, and the way his fangs poked through as he sighed looked almost cute. “Fine.” He opened his eyes again and looked over at the tiny window that let in a beam of afternoon sun into the hallway. “I assume you have a way to prevent me from bursting into flames the moment we step outside?”

“Yup, luckily for you sometimes magicians need to transport vampires during the day, and I know an enchantment to do that.” You held up a golden ring etched with runes. “It’ll only last a few hours when I activate the enchantment, but it should be more than enough to get you out.” Before you could explain any more of the plan, a thunderous crash that shook the ground followed by a roar cut you off. The little dragon was finally on his way out. “That’s our cue.”

You raised your right hand, the seal on your palm glowing and connecting to the lock on the cell. The moment the mechanism clicked, Yugi grabbed the bars of the door and threw it open. The moment it was, you tossed the enchanted ring to the vampire and told Yugi to do his thing, just as shouting echoed down the stone hall, frantic and calling for backup to hold off the dragon. When you looked back and saw that Yugi had turned himself and Atem invisible the next phase of your plan started.

***

The dragon youngling made good on his word and wreaked so much havoc on the Sanctuary’s courtyard that the hallways were practically empty as the three of you ran for it. Even the few magicians you did pass didn’t spare you more than a glance, likely assuming that you were on a mission for something specific. The echoes of the invisible feet running behind you didn’t even draw notice in the commotion that could be heard clearly from outside.

“Are we truly planning on simply walking out the front door?” Atem hissed behind you.

“No, it’s more like the back door the way she described it,” Yugi answered.

“We just need to get out of range from the Sanctuary’s wards and I can teleport us out of here. Now keep quiet before someone hears us!”

To your horror, silence had just fallen between the three of you, when two figures turned a corner and almost knocked right into you. You skidded to a halt so fast you feared that the boys wouldn’t be able to avoid colliding with your back. They managed not to by a hair.

“Whoa! Sorry!” the shorter of the two called.

“Oh, Mana.” Your attention immediately darted up to her companion and your eyes locked with Mahad’s. Your spine gave a slight shiver at how he already looked suspicious.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, trying to keep his tone gentle.

“Councilman Rhodes asked me to get something from his office, to help with the escaping dragon.” Good thing you already had an excuse ready.

Mahad raised an eyebrow. Then, the horror inside your stomach screamed again as he looked behind you and narrowed his eyes. Without another word, Mahad waved his hand and chanted a familiar spell. You wanted to scream out loud as you turned, and saw Yugi’s glamor fall. Both men stood there, frozen and wide-eyed and completely visible.

Mana gasped, “Atem! You were using the attack to sneak him out!” Then her face fell from surprise to confusion as she looked Yugi up and down, “Who’s the incubus?”

“Atem’s lover, I assume.” Mahad’s eyes darted from them to you and not for the first time in your life, you felt like Mahad was reading your very soul like a book. He had always been able to tell volumes about a person just by looking at them.

As you and the boys were still frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do, Mana looked up at her mentor with pleading eyes. “Master…if we turn them in, all three of them will be executed.” Her eyes darted back to you, “She was just trying to do what was right!”

All you could manage was to look the man directly in his eyes. There was no chance at overpowering a skilled magician like Mahad. Your fates were in his hands now.

He held your gaze for another long moment, before he closed them and turned away. “Then I guess it is a good thing that we didn’t see them. Let’s go, Mana.”

“Yes, sir!” the girl said, her usual cheerful manner back as she winked at you and followed her teacher down the hallway.

It took a moment to realize what just happened, but, after that moment, it really didn’t surprise you. Mahad followed rules, yes, but above all else, he was a good and fair man.

“Thank you,” Atem’s voice called after the two magicians and Mahad actually stopped at the words.

“Take care of her. She’s throwing the only life she’s ever known away right now.” He looked over his shoulder and gave you one final serious stare. “Even if we keep quiet, the Council will find out. You know that.”

You only had to wait a second before you answered with, “I don’t care.”

The profound look of understanding that crossed Mahad’s eyes almost caught you off guard. Perhaps he wished he could do the same as you. But a second later he and Mana resumed their walking, the latter giving you one last wave of goodbye before they turned another corner.

When you looked back at the boys to tell Yugi to cast his spell again, you jolted at how both of them were staring at you. Had they assumed you could just send them on their way and come back to the Circle without the Council discovering what you did? No, they were too smart for that assumption. More like having it said out loud made it real for them…and they seemed torn over the idea that you were giving up, well, everything for them. You didn’t like the hints of guilt in their eyes.

“Come on, we got a lot of ground to cover still.”

***

Teleportation spells…they just weren’t your forte. But it was the best way to get plenty of distance between you and the Sanctuary while they realized what you’d done. So you just had to endure the strain of teleporting yourself and two passengers the moment you were out of the building’s magical reach.

Your body hit the ground hard, the dry leaves and dirt doing little to break your fall and you heard two similar thuds come right after you before your portal closed. Letting out a groan, you rolled onto your hand’s and knees, hoping there weren’t too many bruises as you looked over your companions who were once again visible.

“You two okay? I’ve never teleported that many people.”

Yugi sat up on his knees and flapped one of his wings gingerly. “I’ll be okay,” he winced.

Both of you looked around the forest to find Atem, and there was a strange flutter in your chest when you saw him standing in a ray of sun. The light illuminated his face, only enhancing his look of wonder as he looked up at the blue sky between the trees.

“I had heard of enchantments that allow vampires to walk in the sunlight but…” he looked back at the two of you and his smile was so happy it made your heart ache. “I never thought I would see this again.”

Yugi rose from the forest floor and walked to Atem, immediately pulling him into a tight embrace, something he had likely wanted to do since he saw him in the cell. You felt a sudden wash of shame as you watched the affection, though you couldn’t pinpoint why. You shouldn’t blame yourself for what the Circle did…even if you were part of that very clan.

Not wanting to intrude on their proper reunion, you busied yourself with that task of finding the backpack you had stashed in the forest that morning. It was a large thing, though, quite small when one realized that it had all of your possessions stuffed inside. It wasn’t as if you could go back for your things after breaking Atem out.

When you returned to where the men were they had parted from their embrace and you saw looks of worry on their faces as the peered through the trees. When they spotted you, their mutual worry eased in an instant.

“I assume you never told the council where you or Yugi live, right?” you asked before they could say anything to you.

Atem shook his head. “We should be safe, so long as they don’t find it too important to track us down.” He looked over at Yugi with a smirk. “Yugi actually knows how to cast a ward or two himself, and has our home protected from tracking spells.”

Oh, they lived together? Interesting.

“Just small ones,” Yugi muttered, cheeks red, “I don’t think they’d stand up against the Circle’s heavy duty spells though.”

“Don’t worry. The only reason they were going to kill Atem is because they thought he was part of Marik’s cult and figured it was easiest to execute him. They won’t waste resources tracking him down now. But they will to find me…which brings me to a favor I need to ask of you.”

Atem met your eyes, looking alert, serious, and ready. “After everything you’ve done, you can ask anything of me.”

You set your backpack down on the ground and looked down at the magician’s seal branded into your palm. An ancient mark that bound you to the Circle. A mark of servitude one might say. “If I’m going to escape the Circle myself, I need this seal removed.” You closed your fingers, feeling another flood of shame. “You see, this seal doesn’t just help us channel our magic and let us open doors in the Sanctuary. It…It also acts as a kill switch.”

“What?” Atem’s dark tone made you look up at him. He suddenly looked very angry. Yugi contrasted by looking horrified.

“In the case of a rogue magician, a magician like me, the Council can cast a spell and use the seal to kill the magician. I don’t think they’ll do that immediately, they’ll try to capture me first, but I have no doubt that they’ll resort to that eventually.”

Yugi took a step forward. “You told that man that you knew the Council would find out that you betrayed them. You knew that and you still…”

“It doesn’t matter, especially because I think Atem can help me get rid of the seal.”

“How? How can I help,” he asked, sounding on the verge of desperate.

“Yesterday a vampire bit my right arm and it hurt. It hurt like hell, not how vampire bites are supposed to feel. When I asked around the most likely conclusion is that the curative on a vampire’s fangs reacts to the magic in the seal.” You knew your eyes must have turned pleading as you looked at Atem, but you didn’t much care somehow. “I think your bite can purge the seal’s enchantment from my body. If it’s magic vanishes, so does my connection with the Circle.”

 Atem’s eyes darted to your right palm, “Are you sure it’ll work?”

“No. But it’s the only other option besides cutting off my hand.” You gave them a wry smile. “That’s plan B.”

Yugi scowled, “Please don’t joke about that.”

You closed the distance between you and the vampire and he looked almost wary as you lifted your hand, palm up, to him. “It’s worth a try.” Relief filled you when Atem took your hand. “I’ll warn you now, I’ll probably start screaming, but don’t stop. If it hurts that means it’s working.”

“You don’t know that,” Atem all but snapped, but, after a moment he looked back down at your palm and sighed. “I pray this works.”

He opened his mouth and his fangs flashed in the sunlight before they pierced the skin of your palm. White hot pain filled your veins almost instantly and you clamped your mouth shut in an effort not to cry out. You didn’t want Atem to feel guilty for hurting you, especially with how gentle he was trying to be, but the pain was too much and you couldn’t stop the shout of agony that bubbled up from your throat. Sweat gathered on your brow and your other hand clenched so hard you were sure your nails broke the skin.

Then, you felt a pair of hands cup your face. They turned your head and you saw Yugi’s beyond distraught face before he locked his purple eyes with yours. And suddenly the pain seemed to fade away, slowly but surely. It was replaced by a calm kind of excitement. Not unlike the feeling you felt when he entered your dream or when he changed your appearance with his magic. Your mind went fuzzy, and you couldn’t think of anything in particular. It felt like floating under a ray of sun.

Slowly, the scene came back to you. A dull ache throbbed in your right palm as hands rubbed it and your arm with reassuring care. A wave of dizziness overtook your body and you stumbled, only to be caught in two pairs of strong arms.

“We’ve got you,” Yugi said as they lowered you to the ground gently.

“Does it still hurt?” Atem asked as neither dared to let go of you yet.

You managed to find your voice after a few moments. “Believe it or not, it hurt worse when they gave me the mark.”

Yugi looked disgusted. “And they call _us_ the monsters.”

You became aware that Atem was still gently stroking your palm with his thumb. You looked down, and you almost wanted to cry in relief when you saw that the seal was nothing but a faint pink scar now.

“I think it worked,” Atem confirmed.

After a minute you managed to regain some of your strength and as you did you got the urge to remove yourself from their embrace. It felt odd to be part of such affection, though the moment you sat up, you missed the comfort.

“Thank you, Atem. This will make running from the Circle much easier.” After giving the vampire a smile, you looked over at Yugi, almost amused as you remembered how Yugi had done something in the midst of your pain. “Did you use your seduction magic on me?”

As his eyes widened his face flushed, “I didn’t fully seduce you! I just…you were in so much pain, I thought I could use it to block it out of your mind. It seemed to work too.”

“I’m not upset. Thank you, it made all of that a lot easier.”

Still with a hint of the blush, Yugi smiled back at you. Silence settled for a moment, and you knew the longer you were with them, the harder it would be to part. Damn it, why did being with them just feel so….

“You two need to get home. The enchantment on Atem’s ring won’t last forever and you’ll want to be somewhere safe when it runs out.”

When you stood up both men jumped to their feet as well, Atem actually stepping in front of you. “What do you mean ‘you two’? You’re coming as well.”

“What? No, I shouldn’t.”

“Yes you should!” Yugi insisted, “You need a place to stay, stay with us!”

Your mouth opened and closed a few time, resembling a fish as you tried to think of a good reason to deny them. Then again, did you really want to?

Atem put a hand on your upper arm, “Please, stay with us. We need to look out for each other now.”

A moment of contemplation. “I…o-okay. I’ll stay for a while.”

“Yes!” Yugi cheered, “It’s settled then,” he plucked your backpack from the ground and slung it over his shoulder. “Since you’re still pretty shaken up from Atem’s bite I’ll fly us there.”

“Wait, what?” your face felt drained all of the sudden. You had been in the air a few times, but somehow the imagery of this incubus trying to carry both you and Atem while flying made you fearful.

“Don’t worry,” Atem assured with a smile, “Yugi is stronger than he looks, he won’t let you fall.”

As the incubus gathered a vampire in one arm and a magician in the other you said, “But I’m just not a big fan of flyING-!” your voice pitched into something like a scream as he flapping his wings and shot into the air.

Life was certainly going to be more interesting with these two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, another one-shot where I just allude to the idea that you and the boys might have something together, I'm sorry! I'll post something where you three are already together in the story sometime soon, I promise.  
> 


	4. A Match Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem loves Yugi, but the hard truth is that he needs a queen and an heir. Where are they going to find someone who won't usurp their love? Where will they find another worthy partner?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a request from a friend of mine! She has an account on here under Rosey_heart and you should definitely go read her stories because she's and her content are amazing (she has a Yami x reader titled "The King's Maze"). Honestly I really really loved her idea and I uh...I kinda went a little overboard and kept thinking of more and more stuff that I wanted to add to it. Hopefully it's not too long and boring for you guys, I just got super inspired with this one (just goes to show why she's my writing senpai) and I loved delving into the complicated feelings her prompt presented. Hope you all enjoy it~
> 
> Warning for some minor sexual themes, nothing explicit though.

For possibly the third time that night Yugi let out a yawn. Pouring over his work for hours on end was taking its toll, apparently, but he couldn't help but to put his whole heart into the project. Not only was it the greatest honor to be asked to work on a pharaoh's tomb, but he wanted- needed everything to be perfect for the final resting place of the man he loved. Yugi wanted the writings on Atem's tomb to tell a story, to tell of his strength and kindness, how he continued his father's legacy as a worthy and peaceful king; all while leaving room to inscribe the trials and accomplishments Atem was yet to achieve. After all, the young man had only been pharaoh for little over a year, surely there were going to be tales worth telling in his future.

The young scribe rubbed his eyes, noting that his tiredness was not helped by the full meal he just ate. A meal he had eaten alone. Yugi sighed, that thought was not fair, Atem was busy running a kingdom. It was not his fault if he missed a dinner or two (or five) with him in order to work.

"So long as Isis and Mahad make sure he actually eats.." Yugi muttered to himself, worried that his beloved would fall into his bad habit of neglecting his own needs.

Just as he was casting a glance around the pharaoh's sitting room, thinking about curling up into the bed in the next room for a while, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Yugi perked up in an instant and sure enough, Atem stepped in a moment later. The scribe took note of the lines creasing the king's young face, though the moment ruby eyes met Yugi's, his face relaxed slightly.

"Sorry for the mess," Yugi said, already gathering his work into a neat pile, "I didn't know how late you would be working with Seto, so I wanted to keep myself occupied."

Atem closed the distance between them quickly and took Yugi's hands in his own. "It's no trouble, leave it for tonight, Yugi, there is something..." Atem faltered and Yugi felt the way his hands clenched, saw the way the worried lines came back with a vengeance.

Not taking his eyes off of Atem, Yugi rose to his feet. The king's whole manner made a sense of dread come crawling into his stomach and when Atem continued to say nothing, Yugi reached up and brushed his fingertips over Atem's cheek.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

Atem closed his eyes, drew in a long breath, "Yugi, there's something we need to discuss." He kept his tone gentle, barely above a whisper as he took the young scribe's hands in his own and lead him to the bed they shared every night.

Yugi said nothing, the lump forming in his throat making it hard to speak or even breathe. He knew Atem was trying to broach whatever needed to be said with care, but honestly, the longer silence broke his words, the more Yugi started to feel sick.

Once they sat on the bed and a moment of looking into each other's eyes passed, Atem reached out and stroked his fingers along Yugi's cheek, brushing unruly bangs away with such care that Yugi wanted to get lost in the touch. "Yugi, no matter what, you know that I love you?"

The dread clawed at his stomach and Yugi knew he must have sounded impatient as he said, "Of course I do- Atem, what's wrong?"

The king closed his eyes, sighing, "My advisors once again brought up the topic of an heir, Yugi. They're getting impatient with my lack of interest in finding a wife." His eyes opened, meeting Yugi's as he admitted his final concern. "I fear they will start taking drastic measures to ensure I have a wife and possible heir on the way by the end of the season."

The unease in Yugi's stomach, everything around him in fact, seemed to freeze for a moment. "Oh," was all he could manage to say after a few heartbeats that were far too loud in his ears.

As Atem said nothing more, simply looked back at Yugi with a pained, worn expression, the scribe finally regained himself. Honestly, this should not come as a shock. The fact that Yugi could not truly be his pharaoh's one and only in every sense had always been a hard truth. Deep down he knew this day would come; that his lover would not only need but  _want_  a child. Love was a great value in their land, but there were other needs of life, especially for one in Atem's position. And after all...marriage was not always about love.

"I- I understand," the young scribe finally managed.

The hand still holding Yugi's tightened, "Yugi-"

"It's alright, Atem. We've talked about this before, we knew we couldn't get away with me being your only lover forever." When Atem let out a long breath full of resigned frustration Yugi pulled him in, held his face, and ran a thumb along his lips as he said, "Everything will work out, Atem. We just have to...figure all of this out." Yugi couldn't help but to sigh as he tried to collect his thoughts. "If I have to share you with someone else, I will. I will do...anything you need, so long as I get to keep some part of you."

Despite his words and how much he meant them, the pain of uncertainty of what the near future would hold still writhed in his chest. He didn't want Atem to see it on his face, or give into the feeling too deeply himself, so he pressed his lips to Atem's and pulled him into an even deeper embrace. The king melted into the touch, wrapping his arms around the scribe so tightly they fell back onto the soft cotton sheets of the bed.

Everything would be fine, Yugi told himself, and though some part of himself in the back of his mind wanted to scream, Yugi knew he had to keep strong for Atem. They could find a way to make this work...he knew it.

***

Yugi's conviction was the only thing keeping Atem sane in the following days. After some heated debates (arguments more like) with his council Atem was finally able to meet them halfway on the issue of finding a bride. He would take their suggestions into consideration, but ultimately the choice would be his and, so long as he kept the task a priority, he was free to court whomever he wanted in an effort to find someone he would be more than just cold bedmates with.

As Yugi liked to say, in his heart of hearts, Atem was a romantic and he loathed the idea of sharing such an intimate side of himself with someone he cared nothing for. He wanted his wife to be his partner, even if he could not love them as a lover should, he wanted them to care for each other enough to be happy together. Not to mention he wanted someone who would not invite hostility between herself and Yugi. Though the young scribe had never been officially named as a harem boy to the pharaoh, he was sure others knew of their relationship and a wife would certainly find out about it, even if Atem did not admit it to her first.

The task of finding a woman who fit Atem's wants was easier said than done. There were a few women who could be possible good fits, but those few all felt far too...chaste. Mana, for example. She was a kind, free-spirited, strong young woman who Atem loved deeply. But that love was not one that would allow for anything more passionate or physical than a hug. If they were to share a bed together, he knew it would only make things awkward between them and he felt sick at the mere idea of tarnishing a friendship he held so dear.

Mahad must have noticed his pharaoh's recent stress, because that particular day Mahad had insisted that they discuss their weekly security report in the palace gardens over beer and sweet bread. A simple effort to make the evening work a bit lighter and Atem appreciated the thought.

He let out a sigh as a light breeze passed over him, kicking up the scent of the flowers that were so rare to thrive in his land. His servants had set up quite the lavish palette for him, cotton cushions and blankets sprawled out so the men could lounge as they please while talking. Atem actually smiled as he thought of Mahad trying to relax in his presence. The magician would likely barely be willing to sit, let alone relax completely, no matter how much Atem insisted. As he waited for the magician in question to join him, Atem mulled over some verbal tactics he could use to get Mahad to at least enjoy the refreshments. Perhaps he would sink as low as to say he himself could not relax unless his old friend did, that should do it.

His attention was drawn as more servants came with trays laden in platters and pitchers. Then, at a closer look, Atem was surprised that among them was another familiar magician instead of Mahad himself approaching.

You bowed respectfully as the servants finished placing the drinks and snacks before the pharaoh. "Mahad sends his apologies, my king, he was called to Priest Seto's side unexpectedly."

Ah, that explained it. This was not an uncommon occurrence, this was not even the first time you had made the security report in Mahad's stead. "I see, is this incident anything I need to be concerned with?" he asked.

You flashed him a reassuring smile, "I think not, from what master Mahad told me, Seto has a lead on a criminal they've been tracking and wanted his help cornering him."

Atem nodded, returning your smile before he waved at the pile of cushions across from him, "Please, sit and eat while we talk. Mahad went to all this trouble of arranging food and drink for the meeting, it would be a shame to waste it."

"Thank you, Pharaoh." As you took the offered seat and started looking through your papyrus papers, Atem waved for the servants to leave them and the two of you were left alone. "Fortunately, there is little to report this week, my king."

A firm, almost scolding call of your name drew your gaze from the words on your scroll to the man before you. "What have I said about my title when we are speaking in privet?" he said with a teasing smile.

You let out a small chuckle, "Right, sorry, Atem. Master Shimon scolded me the other day when I used your name so lightly, I'm simply trying to be more careful." You glanced down at your papers again, if only to keep from blushing under the pharaoh's sweet smile. "As I was saying, Atem, there is little to report. The only thing of actual concern is that there are reports of bandit sighting on the outskirts..."

The report did not take long. Atem listened, interjecting here or there to make a note of this or that, mostly suggestions to increase patrols in certain areas that you would pass along to Mahad. A few times Atem reminded you to drink or eat, at one point even "ordering" you to not make him dine alone, all with that friendly smile on his face.

After you put your scrolls and papers away and started eating the last of the sweet bread on your plate, Atem noticed that you were taking glances at him that were filled with an unspoken question.

"Is there something else you were wanting to discuss?" he asked after a moment.

You hesitated, seeming unsure, then, something solidified in your gaze as you looked him in the eyes. "Atem, I wanted to ask...is everything alright? You've seemed stressed recently. I want to make sure you're doing well."

Atem's eyes widened a bit at the words. He would be lying if he did not admit that the obvious concern in your eyes and voice touched him. First Mahad and now you; he felt quite blessed that he had so many who cared for him as more than just their sovereign.

He let the affection he felt show on his face as he met your gaze, "Thank you for your concern," he allowed himself a soft, cleansing sigh, "there is a matter my council has placed on me that has been weighing on my mind, that's all."

"I see, well, as my friend, please let me know if there is anything I can do." You strengthened the genuine nature of your words with a smile and Atem returned it.

"Would you take a walk with me?" he asked almost suddenly. When you seemed to stumble over the abrupt suggestion, Atem downed the last of his beer, stood, and held his hand out to you. "Please, come enjoy the garden with me."

Again you chuckled before taking his hand and rising to your feet. "Of course, Atem"

The two of you enjoyed a comfortable silence as you walked and in it, Atem's mind started to wander. You had crossed his mind as a possible candidate for his bride dilemma briefly, but he hadn't had much time to think on it more deeply. He still felt very touched by your concern over him and that paired with the smile of wonder you were casting at the gardens around you, made him wish he had considered you more thoroughly before. You were intelligent, a great asset to his court and ranks of magicians. Kind and easy to like, most in the court called you their friend proudly. You were strong-willed as well, Seto could attest to that given how often you two argued; you seeming not to care at all how much he outranked you. But above all of that, you were his friend, someone he cared for, someone he knew he could be partners with. Then of course, atop all of that, you were quite beautiful. That had been one of the first words to come to his mind when he was first introduced to you years ago.

Feeling a sudden urge, Atem called out your name to draw your attention away from the gardens. When you met his gaze he said, "Would you mind if I asked you a question?"

"Of course. You may ask me anything, Atem."

"Is there anyone special in your life? Someone courting you or anyone you might be interested in romantically?"

In an instant, your relaxed, gentle expression fell to one of wary caution, almost suspicion. "Is this about the topic master Shimon brought up yesterday?" With a huff of a sigh, your expression turned downright annoyed as you turned to face the path ahead. "I'll be honest with you now, Atem, I have no interest in the offer- in fact, I'd sooner marry an ox!"

The comment floored the poor young pharaoh. As his mind stalled processing your words, so did his feet. "E-excuse me?" Atem faltered, mouth agape and eyes wide as he  _must_  have misunderstood, right? What had been said or done to invite such hostility? Surely he wasn't that appalling of a match!

At Atem's expression, you now seemed confused as well. You looked at him again, brow furrowed, "You asked about my personal relations, was that not because of what master Shimon said?"

"What did Shimon say?" Atem all but snapped. The vizier was not meant to say much on the matter of finding a queen at all, the deal was that his council would make suggestions for brides, but Atem himself was to pursue them as he pleased.

You crossed your arms, still seeming a bit annoyed, "He overheard Seto and I arguing yesterday. He said that since neither of us are married he would talk to you about arranging a marriage between us in the hopes that we would get along better. I..." it was your turn to falter, seeming suddenly abashed as your arms lowered to your side. "I could not tell if he meant the comment in jest or not..."

Finally, Atem's mind cleared and he felt himself smirk. Of course it was something like that. It was not the first time Shimon had said something about you and Seto fighting like an old married couple. Atem himself though the likeness was more akin to warring countries than bedmates, but the old vizier always had an odd sense of humor.

When Atem saw that a blush of embarrassment had made its way onto your cheeks, he could not help but to chuckle. "No, no, Shimon has said nothing of the sort to me. Even if he did, I would never arrange the marriage. I'm sure you two would simply wind up poisoning each other before your first year together."

You smiled back at him, huffing in mock-offense, "My dear pharaoh, you have me all wrong. I would not poison him, I would stab him with his own millennium rod." The both of you shared a laugh at that and when it died down you asked, "So, if marrying me off to Seto was not your reasoning, why the sudden interest in my affairs?" Had the question been off-handed or part of a larger conversation, you might not have asked, friends inquiring after such things was not unusual of course. However, since he had an air of importance around the matter, it seemed necessary.

Atem stiffened suddenly and he chose to look over a cluster of iris flowers instead of meet your gaze. "I know this is sudden, and please, do not feel you have to give me an answer now, or say yes simply because of my status." He paused, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to meet your own. "I am looking for a wife..."

***

Three days. It had taken you that long to make your decision on Atem's offer. He said he would give you longer, all the time you needed, in fact. After all, it wasn't every day that a pharaoh proposed to you.

Three days of careful consideration. That evening in the gardens you two sat and talked for over an hour, answering each other's questions, being completely honest with one another. You were honest about your reservations and he was honest about his feelings. He was also careful to state repeatedly that he would take no offense if you denied him; that he understood if you wanted to marry for love. Such a considerate, thoughtful man. Even if he may never fall in love with you the way another husband would, there was no doubt that he would be a good partner.

That, coupled with the fact that there was no one else who even remotely caught your romantic eye, made your decision easier.

Now, here you were. Three weeks after you had told Atem that you would be honored to become his queen and his partner. Three weeks after Atem had pulled you into an embrace and swore that he would do whatever it took to make your union a happy one.

The council had hastened to make the wedding plans the moment Atem announced the engagement to them; completely sweeping away your worry that they would not approve of you as a bride. Atem himself had waved away the concern over your none-noble birth back in the gardens that day, saying he could convince the council to give their blessing with one fact: his people loved you. After all, you were one of his vassals who frequented the town, who healed their sick and fed their children on Atem behalf; who also kept the king explicitly informed on their plights so that he might better provide for his citizens. If you were named queen, the people would adore you, a vital quality not many women could have so easily.

Three weeks and here you stood, servants weaving lotus blossoms into your hair, apply elaborate designs around your eyes with kohl, and adorning you in the most magnificent jewelry. You knew there would be celebrations in town, the people drinking and cheering on the fact that their beloved pharaoh had finally found a bride, one who was, in their eyes, gentle yet strong enough to be worthy of him. You could hear the crowd gathering outside and felt a wave of anxiety wash over you. Thankfully, a knock came to distract you.

The servants stepped aside as you turned and saw Atem standing in the doorway. When he gave you that soft, friendly smile, you did not miss the way the servants exchanged glances and giggles before bowing out of the room.

"You look lovely," Atem said as he made his way over to you.

You returned his smile, "I should hope so, my soon-to-be husband has given me a collection of the most majestic jewelry after all."

"The jewels are only part of it," he assured, before leaning in and placing a chaste kiss on your forehead, avoiding the circlet that rested there. He waited a moment and cast a glance at the window, seeming nervous himself as he held out his hand to you. "Are you ready?"

Taking his hand in yours you let out a breath and said, "As I will ever be."

When you two started walking Atem must have wanted to ease the tension you were both feeling, because he said, "At least after today you will have one useful benefit of your title. You will finally outrank Seto."

You laughed at the joke and he seemed pleased with the effect, even relaxing himself some. "I promise I won't be too evil with that power. Maybe just order him into silence when he's being difficult. Or perhaps I'll make him Mana's practice dummy for a week."

It was Atem's turn to chuckle and he was glad that you made him feel less nervous as you two approached the main balcony off of the throne room. His priests, vizirs, and other vassals lined the path and Shimon himself stood on the balcony, ready to present the people with their pharaoh and his new queen.

After the announcing and the cheering came the party. Congratulations were thrown at the both of you left and right. Some made toasts, to Atem, to you, one even being as bold as to jest about toasting the heir that would 'no doubt be on the way soon'. Food, drink, dancing. Everything was so festive and truly, you did have a good time, but eventually, the fact that everyone wanted to catch a moment (or twenty) of your time became exhausting.

Not to mention the fact that one person, who seemed to be avoiding you and Atem altogether, kept catching your eye. The handsome young scribe, Yugi. Atem had taken a long time to find a wife, and even now it was not because he was madly in love. You knew why long before that talk in the gardens. You had never met the man, but you had seen Yugi and the pharaoh talk many times before. You saw the look in their eyes, the smiles, the lingering touches; every one conveyed a type of love you had only seen or heard of in stories. And here Yugi had to stand, watching that love marry someone else. Your heart went out to him, truly it did.

Eventually, when you notice Yugi stalking out of the room and outside looking in quite low spirits, you decided to take the opportunity not only as an excuse to leave the crowd behind for a bit, but also to address something you wish you had in the last few weeks.

You found the scribe sitting by the long reflecting pool, his bare feet trailing the water, goblet of drink untouched, torches casting his soft face into harsh shadows in the night. The sounds of the party were muffled out here and the two of you were alone. The quiet must have made it easier to hear your approach because Yugi soon look up and his eyes went wide when they landed on you. He stumbled, making an odd noise and seeming at a loss as to what he should do or say.

"Are you wondering if you should bow or address me as your highness?" you hoped your tone sounded light as you smiled at him. "Please don't. Not only have I had enough of being called 'Your Highness' for the night, but there's no need for you to have such airs."

He still seemed to be searching for something to say as you slipped off your silken slippers, sat next to him, and dipped your feet into the pool as well. You decided to help him out by introducing yourself with your given name, and finally, he seemed to relax a bit as he introduced himself in turn.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Yugi. Atem talks about you quite a bit."

In the firelight, you saw his cheeks brighten a bit and he scratched the back of his head, "He does?"

You nodded, still smiling at him in an effort to ensure he did not misunderstand your next words. "He also told me about the true nature of your relationship."

His face sobered at that. He dropped his hand and looked to the water. "Atem said he was going to be honest with you about that. I..."

"Yugi, I wanted to tell you that I want you two to continue your relationship." Lavender eyes snapped back to you in an instant and you almost giggled at how utterly surprised he seemed. "I know that even if I didn't, I would have no power to deny Atem and his...affairs, but I wanted to take the time to tell you that I'm fine with you being together. I can see as clear as day how much you love each other and I would hate to get in the way of that."

The scribe held your gaze for a long moment, then let out a relieved huff of air and finally, finally returned your smile. "I was worried about your thoughts on us if I'm being honest. I wasn't sure how Atem and I..." another sigh, "lets just say these past few weeks have been very stressful, so, thank you for what you said."

"Well, you should know that it was for my benefit as well. My safety to be exact. I have heard far too many tragedies of mistresses and lovers of kings poisoning the queens out of jealousy."

Yugi's mouth dropped and that wide-eyed look was back in place times one hundred. "I- I would never-!"

He was cut off by your giggling, "Yugi, that was meant to be humorous!"

After a second the young man seemed to process what you said, then joined in your laughter. After it died down, silence hung between you two for a bit, both of you staring into the rippling pool, unsure where to take the conversation now.

"...Yugi, I hope that you and I can become friends," you said after a while.

In the reflection of the water, you saw him nod with a smile that you were sure was one of the many reasons the pharaoh fell for him. "I'd like that." Another while of silence, only this time he was the one to break it. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why did you agree to marry Atem? I know he wouldn't choose someone who simply wanted power, so, why?"

Before you answered, you prepared yourself by taking a deep breath and tilted your head up to the blanket of stars overhead. "Did Atem tell you how I came to be at the palace?" When Yugi shook his head, you continued. "During his father's reign, some of Pharaoh Aknamkanon's sacred guardians were passing through my village. Apparently someone started bragging to them about how I showed signs of being skilled with magic and they soon came knocking at my family's door. They were impressed with me and wanted to put me under the teachings of their court so I might serve the pharaoh." You took another long breath. "My family was poor, Yugi, so poor we were on the verge of starving most months. I knew working here would give my family enough money to survive, but...I was scared. I had heard of the pharaoh's kindness, but I had also heard horror stories of how all men of power were cruel in person. You can imagine my relief when I got here and Pharaoh Aknamkanon welcomed me with open arms and ensured that my family was well looked after. Not just him, Atem too. He went out of his way to befriend me, to make me feel welcomed. He made me feel like I was more than a glorified servant, he...he made me feel like this could truly become my home, and it did. To answer your question, Yugi, I would do just about anything for Atem. Not simply because he's my king, but because he's the reason I can enjoy my life here."

Yugi waited a few heartbeats and when he spoke, his voice was so soft and understanding that it made you turn back to him. "You're in love with him. You're in love with Atem."

Since he didn't sound accusatory, or even that surprised, you answered with a shrug and wry smile. "No use hiding it. Though really, with how easy it is to love him, can you blame me?"

"Not at all," Yugi chuckled, "Atem...he's special and he has a way of making you feel the same way. Like you're essential to the world, as though all your good and bad qualities are...amazing."

Your heartfelt warm at his words. Not only because they were true, but because of the way he said them with such affection. You were glad you had come here and confided in Yugi, even if it meant putting your own feelings for Atem aside.

Footsteps drew both yours and Yugi's attention and the two of you turned to see Atem himself standing at the edge of the reflecting pool, seeming to examine the mood between you two. He smiled, obviously sensing nothing amiss.

"Apologies, I did not mean to interrupt, but Shimon has insisted that I...for lack of a better term, drag you back inside. He says it is rude to avoid our guests." Atem seemed embarrassed to be saying all this on the vizier's behalf, or rather, he seemed to wish he could do the same as you and hide out here with Yugi by the calming waters.

You flashed him an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Atem, I should not have left you. I was just wanting to take the chance to befriend Yugi is all."

His eyes traveled between you and the scribe. "I can see that. Believe me, I would prefer to leave you to it, or even join you, but..."

"It's alright," Yugi interjected, seeing the hesitancy on Atem's face. "You two go back inside. I would hate if Master Shimon scolded you two because of me." To make his point he actually gave you a friendly nudge with his elbow.

When you looked around at him, he only reassured you with his own smile. It conveyed something else to you, a deeper level of permission. Somehow you knew that Yugi was telling you and Atem that it was alright for you to go and have fun together... and to spend the rest of the night together.

Even with that silent assurance, it still seemed wrong to leave Yugi behind and guilt churned in your chest as you and Atem walked back into your wedding party.

***

Hours passed and it was finally the highlight of the night; the part that made you much more nervous than simple social jitters. This was it. You were not ignorant to the true purpose of this marriage, but nerves still wracked your body as you and Atem retired to his chambers for the night. The chambers you two would have to do much more than sleep in together. You knew Atem was just as nervous as you and it was a tremendous effort to find mental footing strong enough to avoid simply building off of each other's anxiety.

You were standing in the middle of the bedchamber, all of your clothes and jewelry still on as Atem talked with the guards in the hall. He was likely telling them to stand guard further down the hall so that you two might at least have some privacy. You thought poor Atem was going to die of embarrassment at the way a few drunken guests had cheered and catcalled when he announced that both of you were retiring for the night; he likely wanted at least some of his privacy back here.

When you heard him approaching from behind you took a calming breath and turned to face him. Oh, the poor thing, he looked so awkward standing there. His eyes shifted between you and anywhere else in the room.

"Atem-"

"We do not have to do this if you don't want to," he said suddenly. "We can wait. All of this has happened so fast...I understand if you are not ready."

It was becoming hard not to smile in Atem's presences. Nearly everything he said and did was for the benefit of others and you knew he was doing all he could to make this easy for you.

You called his name softly as you closed the small gap between your bodies. Before you spoke your eyes darted up to the majestic crown adorning his head. Reaching up, you took the crown in your hands and gently lifted it from his head. It was heavy, and he closed his eyes, visibly relaxing as the weight left him.

With care you set the sign of power on his vanity, then took his hand in yours. "Atem, we can wait if you wish, but, if you are ready, then so am I." You trailed your hands up his chest, nothing too overwhelming, but enough to help ease the tension and awkwardness. When they reached his shoulders you kept one hand there and moved the other to cup his cheek. "Atem, I'm ready to become your wife in more than just name."

He mirrored your movement, taking your face in both of his hands as he kept his eyes on yours. "If things change between us tonight, I want it to only be for the better."

You nodded your agreement and the motion was barely complete before his lips were on yours. It was a moment before your mind caught up to the act. This was the first true kiss you two had shared and, once you tilted your head and wrapped your arms around his neck, it did not disappoint.

It wasn't long before his hands went to your hips and yours tangled in his hair. Then he moved, taking his lips and trailing them down to your neck. When you let out a surprised 'oh' and gasped at the act you felt him smirk against your skin.

"Don't worry," he pulled you tighter against him as he started shifting you towards the bed, "I'm going to take care of you."

And oh, by the gods he did. There was no selfish taking on his part. The fear that the act would be clinical and passionless- a necessary chore, melted away as his hands and lips explored your body. He had said many times before that he would do what he could to make your union a happy one, and giving and taking pleasure from this act, the very reason he had needed to take a wife, was one of the ways he ensured that.

You returned the sentiment, your hands doing their own teasing and exploring. He learned very quickly that you were not a virgin and seemed quite pleased with that fact by the time blinding pleasure overtook your bodies.

The moment he caught his breath and calmed down the high you two shared, he pulled the covers over your bodies and put an arm around your waist, shifting you so you two could face each other in the afterglow.

Neither of you said much, but you enjoyed the way you could run your fingers over his chest and face from this position. He seemed to bask in the touch, sighing contently and closing his eyes as your finger traced the curves of his face. Still, no matter how nice this little bubble was, the outside world and the complicated nature of your coupling started to creep in.

Your mind went to Yugi, alone and having to endure the fact that his love was laying with another. You knew that the men shared this bed nearly every night, Atem having admitted to you that he hated sleeping alone after being with Yugi for so long.

"I should go."

Atem's eyes opened at your barely-there whisper. "What?"

"I should go and you and Yugi can spend the rest of the night together." The longer you stayed in his arms, the harder it would be to leave, so, you sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. "It's not fair that Yugi has to spend the night alone. I don't want that for him." You tried to keep your voice even, but the fact that sleeping alone did not exactly appeal to you either made your voice quake a bit.

You were barely standing before Atem's hand was gripping your wrist. "And what of you? I won't make love to you, then cast you aside." You gasped when he spun you back to face him and gripped your arms. He was kneeling on the bed so his eyes met yours as he said, "What kind of man would I be if I made  _you_  spend the night alone after all you've done for me?"

You came dangerously close to swooning at his words and firm actions. Somehow you managed to stay standing as you tried to convince him you would be fine. "It's alright, Atem. I know you aren't using me or casting me aside. I just.." You cursed yourself for tearing up no matter how minor it was. You were trying so damn hard, but all of this was such a mess under the surface. "The three of us- you, Yugi, and I...we need to find a balance. We need to find a way to make this work, and I don't even know where to start..."

Your words hung in the air a moment as Atem looked deep in thought, though never taking his eyes off of you. His hands trailed down from your upper arms to your hands as he said, "Let's start by sharing a bed." When you only blinked stupidly at him he continued, "You have no idea how much it hurts me to know that Yugi is alone right now, but I promised myself I would never make you feel neglected either. So, why not take advantage of the fact that my chambers can easily fit three?"

***

Yugi had to admit that when Jono, Atem's personal guard, came to collect him on Atem's behalf, he was relieved. The party had still been going but the only reason Yugi was still awake was because he did not want to return to his room; the one that had barely seen use since he and Atem started seeing each other. So, when the guard caught Yugi wandering the halls lost in his own thoughts and said that Atem wanted to see him, he felt a swell of warmth and relief in his chest. He had thought that nights like this would have to become the norm now, that Atem would have to divide his nights between him and you. There was also the creeping fear that the nights with you would become more and more frequent.

Of course, when he got to Atem's chambers and you were still there, he tried to keep the smile on his face. When you two explained the situation, that Atem wanted to try mixing his time with you and him, he couldn't deny that he felt a twist in his stomach. He ignored it, telling himself that this was a compromise. A good one- one that might ensure no one had to get hurt feelings. Still...

The next morning when Ra's first rays of light started seeping in through Atem's curtain, Yugi was the first to wake. He had stayed snuggled up against his pharaoh's chest through the night and he smiled at the way Atem's arm was still slung around his waist. As he did many mornings, he tried to gently coax Atem to wake by running his fingers down his chest- but almost gave a start when he felt someone else's soft hand on Atem's stomach. Had he truly forgotten that someone else was in bed with them today?

He peeked over his lover's chest and found you sleeping soundly in his other arm. A bitter thought invaded Yugi's mind; the fact that he could not enjoy his usual morning talks with Atem now that you were there, but the moment the idea came Yugi wanted to strike himself.

 _"How awful can I be?"_  he thought, the anger now turning inward.  _"She's been doing all she can to make this easy on me, and I have a thought like that?"_  Willing the sudden lump in his throat not to bring tears, Yugi buried his face in Atem's chest. It was more than just annoyance at losing little moments like that. Everything was changing, everything  _had_  to change and...and what if he was forgotten along the way?

"Yugi?"

He must have woken Atem with the sudden tightness of his arms because the pharaoh, looking as sweetly sleepy as he usually did in the mornings, brought his hand up to run through Yugi's hair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright, my love. Is something wrong?"

Yugi tilted his head up and gave his king a smile, hoping it did not look forced. "No, I'm fine."

Atem looked a bit suspicious, but when you started to stir as well it gave Yugi the distraction he needed. He turned his smile on you as you blinked the sleep from your eyes. He would be damned if he let his jealousy and fear get in the way of having a good relationship with you.

"Good morning," he greeted and felt relieved when you returned the smile, though yours was quickly marred by a yawn.

"Why does being royalty mean you have to wake so early?" you mumbled making both men chuckle.

"Just wait until you see the horde of servants who come in to dress him in the morning." Usually Yugi would allow himself a few minutes of cuddling and talking with the king before he scurried off to avoid being seen by said servants, but today he felt restless. He sat up and shifted to the edge of the bed, not missing the way Atem's hand tried to follow him.

Another shift in the bed told Yugi you had sat up as well. "Are you leaving, Yugi?" he heard you ask.

The lack of hope or anything negative in your tone made him feel guilty for his earlier thoughts again. Not trusting his voice at first, Yugi only responded with a confirming noise.

"Since Yugi and I want to keep our relationship private, he usually leaves before my attendants come," Atem explained before reaching out and stroking his fingers along the scribe's arm in a simple affection.

After Yugi stood from the bed he turned to face you both, taking Atem's hand in his own. He started to lean in to give his king a kiss, but stopped himself, suddenly feeling quite awkward. Instead, he simply gave him a quick kiss on the back of his hand and tried to ignore the disappointed look in Atem's eyes. "I'll see you two later, I guess," he glanced at you and gave a friendly nod, "good luck on your first day as royalty." With that and a chuckle, he took his leave, barely being able to ignore the heavy weight in his heart as he left the king and queen to their day.

***

You knew that stepping up to the role of queen would be an undertaking. You thought going from a farmgirl to a court magician would help with the transition, even if it was a larger jump this time, but experience only helped so much. Since the wedding had been so rushed, the viziers were now piling on lesson upon lesson on how to be one of the highest ranks in the palace. Mostly it was training on how you were supposed to conduct yourself in order to represent your husband and his crown in the best way possible. If it wasn't for the fact that they had given you similar training when you first came to the palace, it all might have been too overwhelming.

Still, despite Shimon's constant scolding and corrections, you were able to pass the day. By the end of it you were more than ready to retire to Atem's lavish chambers, have a meal, and possibly even relax with him and Yugi for the rest of the night. However, as you walked the halls, thinking that plan over, you remembered that Mahad had mentioned that Atem would be working late with him and Seto. Not just that, but Shimon had specifically told you that you were not permitted to be part of their meeting unless Atem specifically requested you to be there.

In the past, you would have been there as Mahad's assistant, helping give insights and opinions on how to handle the situation they were discussing. Atem always liked having you there, if the matter dealt with civilians the very fact that you had grown up away from the comforts of the palace and endured the harshness of life in a small village made your insights valuable to him. But, he had not asked you to be there tonight.

By the time you reached the royal bedchambers, anger had boiled up in your chest so harshly, that when you pulled the silken curtains of the door aside, you almost tore them off of their railing. A startled movement from within the room halted your muttered curses and you turned to see Yugi sitting at the table.

"Is- is everything alright?" Yugi asked, eyeing the curtains wrapped around your arm.

You sighed, "I'm sorry, Yugi, I did not mean to startle you. I'm simply..." another sigh, "there are things about being a queen I did not take into account that I apparently have to get used to now." You freed your arm, stalked over to the low sitting table, and plopped down on one of the lavish cushions. After a second you looked up at Yugi, who was still staring at you with concern, and gave him a sheepish look. "Not particularly regal, am I?"

Yugi giggled and gave you an understanding smile, "It's okay, you don't have to be regal around me, I promise I won't tell Master Shimon." He gave you a wink and couldn't help but to feel the day's stresses lifting from your mind and body. Simply being around Yugi seemed to have a deeply calming effect.

You knew the night would be a little more relaxing if you were free from the numerous hair ornaments the servants bedecked you in that morning, so you reached up and started to try to pull them out- only to feel your hair getting snagged in the first one. Not a moment after the hiss of pain left your lips did Yugi slide to your side of the table and sit in front of you.

"Here, let me help."

His hands stopped yours from worsening the tangle of beads, gold, and hair, before he gently started working at the knots. After a moment he set the first hairpiece aside and got to work on the others. Usually a horde of maidens would be there to comply to your every wish, but you had set them free from their duties early, knowing you would have to ease into the fact that they didn't even want you to dress and undress yourself now.

You almost moaned at how nice it felt to be rid of the ornaments when Yugi pulled the last one from your hair. Then, he was running his fingers through the strands and looking at you with those big, bright eyes.

"There, is that better?"

"Yes, thank you, Yugi," you managed after a moment.

He stayed in that pose, seeming to search your face with a look in his eyes that you couldn't quite place. Then, with a start, he seemed to remember himself and pulled his hand away from the strands of your hair.

"Atem won't be here until late tonight," he said, looking back at the table, then flashing you that smile again, "would you like to play a game to pass the time?"

The expression was infectious and you were grinning back at him in a heartbeat. "That sounds nice," you rose to your feet, "and I will send someone down to the kitchen for some food!"

Several hours passed like that: you and Yugi eating, talking, and playing games. Atem had told you that Yugi was one of the only people who was a challenge for him to play against when it came to strategy based pastimes. You suppose that should have made you brace yourself for defeat after defeat, but it still surprised you just how cunning the sweet-looking male was. At least you were able to give him a run for his money and put up a good fight.

Currently, you two were playing a round of Hounds and Jackals, though the turns were broken up by fits of laughter and stories.

"I swear, the number of times I've caught servants and aids staring at him as he walks by is insane!" you stifled another laugh, your face already red from your last fit.

Yugi was not far behind and he shook his head as he looked down at his game pieces, "You think that's bad, trying having to hold your tongue when you overhear them talking about how much they want to rip his clothes off. Once, I walked in on some maids and guards saying how they wish Atem was more promiscuous so they could have a chance to get in his bed just once!"

"Oh yes, I've heard plenty of that too," you took on a mocking fake tone of voice as you said, " 'why can't the young prince be more curious about his desires? I could teach him a thing or two about his royal rod'!"

It was Yugi's turn to double over in laughter, "'Royal rod'?"

"That is an exact quote I heard during my first year here. Let's just say the gardener's daughter was quite eager for a student!"

The laughter slowly died down and Yugi was finally able to concentrate enough to move his jackal game piece. A comfortable silence settled as you thought over your next move, but when it was his turn again, Yugi spoke up.

"This is nice. Normally when Atem is working late I spend hours here by myself. I'm not blaming him or anything, I know he's working hard to make life safe and better for all of us, but...it's still nice to have someone else here." He was giving you that smile again, and you could see in his eyes that he was thanking you for alleviating his loneliness.

"I'm enjoying our time together too, Yugi. Thank you for letting me in."

The two of you held eye contact for a moment and Yugi looked deep in thought, as if wondering if he should say whatever was playing in his mind. Then, you two were brought out of your little moment by the sound of footsteps. When you both looked round, Atem was walking in through the door. The moment his eyes met you two, the tense nature of his shoulders seemed to lessen some.

"I'm sorry I'm so late, meetings ran longer than I expected." When he joined you and Yugi at the table he let out a long sigh of relief. "I see you two are enjoying each other's company, I'm glad." He flashed you a smirk, "Is Yugi winning?"

Your lips pursed in a mock-sour expression, "Maybe." Atem chuckled as Yugi made his move and you tried to counter it, but the longer the pharaoh sat there, the more a certain topic burned in your mind. You needed to say something to him, so with caution, you said, "Atem, there's something I wanted to ask you about."

"Yes?" he responded, his eyes lingering on the game board for a moment, likely trying to calculate the best way to beat both of you.

"Master Shimon said I am not allowed to attend your meetings anymore unless you ask me to be there."

Even though you tried to keep your tone free of accusation, he still seemed to tense under your words. "Yes, they told me that it would be...inappropriate to have you there as often as I like now that you are queen." He made sure to look you directly in the eyes as he said, "I'm sorry about that, but I promise you that I will still be asking for your input whenever I need it. You are still one of my greatest advisors."

Satisfied with his honesty, you nodded, "Good. I would hate to think that I've been demoted to nothing more than a breeding bitch." The annoyance you hadn't managed to shake put an edge to your tone and immediately you felt guilty. Atem had stiffened even more at your words and Yugi now looked between you two with worry in his eyes. With a sigh you amended, "I'm sorry, Atem, that was unfair. I'm not upset with you, I promise."

"No, I understand. I hate that they have pushed you aside without even consulting me. Still, I will not depend on you any less now, that I can assure you."

To help ease the tension in the room and to strengthen your claim that your anger wasn't at him, you smiled and put your hand over his. "Thank you, Atem, I appreciate that."

After a moment of Atem smiling back at you, when the mood seemed to settle, Yugi clapped his hands together and said, "Alright, now that Atem's here, I say that the winner gets to play him next," he turned his mischievous look towards you, "he likes relaxing with a challenging game."

You couldn't help but chuckle at their playfulness. "You're on."

***

Nights like that became quite common over the next months. On the ones that Atem would work late, you and Yugi spent time together. With every one of those that passed Yugi looked more and more forward to the night, whereas before he would only smile at the thought if Atem would be there. There were also plenty of nights where Atem could finish his duties early enough to have dinner with the two of you, those were some of Yugi's favorite moments. Though things may have started out awkward, with each passing day it felt more and more natural that you were apart of their lives.

Not just that, but, with each passing night, the tightness of jealousy in Yugi's chest lessened. That was aided by the fact that you made sure to extend your own duties some nights and were not shy to tell Yugi that he would have the pharaoh all to himself then. He still had to contend with an occasional pang in his chest on the nights that he purposefully busied himself so that you and Atem could have your own...intimate moments together, but those feelings were starting to pass.

Atem himself could not be happier. He knew he had chosen right when he asked you to become his queen, and every time he retired to his quarters and found you and Yugi laughing together proved it. That, and the fact that you proved to be a strong partner. The few who did not approve of the marriage were quickly put in their place when they were bold enough to challenge you verbally; you even managed to do it in a manner brimming with regality.

And on the nights that his duties weighed down on him the hardest? Both his loves could sense his distress in a heartbeat, and he never took for granted how heavenly it felt to have both of you there for him. Whether it was in the form of four arms wrapped around him, stroking his hair and chest in a way that eased his heavy heart, or deep talks by firelight that helped free his mind of their overflowing thoughts and worries.

Of course, eventually, he had to confront the fact that his feelings for you had changed.

In moments like this, for example, it hit him particularly hard just how deeply he had come to care for you. Some of his troops from the outskirts of his kingdom had come to report that an entire village had been burned to the ground by some unknown culprit. There were no survivors. You had been present in the throne room when the rider made his desperate report, and you were the only one left when Atem snapped out his orders to the others so that he might handle the situation.

Seto had just finished telling the scout to take him and his troops to this village when the doors to the throne room shut and...and Atem was left with nothing to do but to wait. He had wanted to go himself, but at the insistence of his advisors, he had reluctantly agreed to stay behind in case this was all a blood-soaked trap. The frustration was building in his chest and he had the urge to throw his fist against something, anything- until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Atem."

"No, it isn't." He didn't pull away from your touch and he did not want to sound harsh, but the guilt was eating away at him. "I should be the one to hunt these monsters down. I owe it to the dead- to the ones who suffered because I couldn't protect them!"

You sighed and he surprised himself with how much it hurt to feel you pull away. Thankfully, you only did it so you could stand in front of him, cup his cheek, and look him in the eyes as you said, "You're doing what's right, Atem. Your council are the hands that go where you can't and they're acting on your behalf. You're seeking justice and you  _will_  avenge their deaths. Trust your court and their ability to do everything you would."

His heart swelled with affection, but it was an odd mixture to add to the guilt still clawing at his insides. "And what must I do to repent for my failure in protecting them in the first place?"

Though the question had been almost rhetorical, after just a moment of thought, you took his hand and started pulling him toward the war room with all of the detailed maps of his land. "Come, I won't have you standing here brooding as you wait. We'll put both of ourselves to use and discuss what we can do to increase security on the outskirts."

And just like that, his breath hitched with a feeling he thought he could only feel for Yugi. Where others might have offered him empty words and advised him to relax in his quarters while others worked, you not only acknowledged his guilt but put him to use so that he might overcome it. And you would do it together no less.

Atem gave into a sudden urge and pulled on the hand holding his. With a gasp, you fell into his arms and he embraced you from behind. He would allow himself this moment before you two went to work, he would let himself bask in the fact that he loved you. Truly loved you.

"Thank you," he whispered against your hair, and he managed to smile at the way you melted into his touch when he said, "I love you."

***

Yugi knew, perhaps long before the pharaoh himself, that Atem was falling deeper and deeper into his affection for his queen. He saw the way the look in his eyes changed and shifted, the way his touch would linger on your arm or back longer and longer. Honestly, he could not blame Atem and the fact that he knew he still had his king's love made the fact easier to take. That, and the talk Atem went out of his way to have with Yugi.

The moment he knew he had fallen in love with you, he told Yugi. As they lay in bed on one of their nights alone together, Atem admitted that his feelings had changed, but held Yugi close as he swore that matter what, his feelings for him never would. Yugi was so relieved that he could hold Atem back and say, with all honest and no pang of jealousy, that he knew Atem would always love him.

Several days had passed since that confession and Yugi now walked down the halls with another worry in his chest. You and Atem had both been very busy dealing with the troubles on the outskirts the past few days and it was times like this that made Yugi feel quite useless. Both of you appreciated his intelligence and would even ask his advice at times, but, the simple truth was that he was a scribe, not an advisor, not a council member, or even an experienced soldier. There were certain parts of yours and Atem's duties that he could not share in.

To top his somber mood off, he had grown so accustomed to you filling the void of Atem's absence, that he now felt a terrible sadness at the fact that you might not be there tonight. He quickly scolded himself for the thought. He was being selfish, he had spent many years alone before Atem and he could manage a few hours of loneliness now.

That resignation was the very reason he was surprised when he saw your handmaidens walking down the hall, apparently having just left the pharaoh's chambers. They looked quite worried.

"She looks too pale, and did you hear the weariness in her voice when she apologized for getting short with us?"

"Mahad gave her his best remedy, so long as she heeds his request and rests she should be fine."

"I hope you're right, I wouldn't be able to bear the loss of our queen."

Yugi's pace quickened the moment the women passed him. Usually, he would be much more cautious when retiring to his lover's room, all in an effort to keep the rumors and gossipers down, but worry overrode that caution. Jono, the guard who had known of the scribe's relationship with Atem from the start, stopped him outside the door.

"Careful, Yugi, the queen's in a bit of a mood tonight."

"What happened?" Yugi demanded of the trusted guard.

He shrugged, "Not sure, I just overheard the handmaidens telling the queen that she needed to rest. I think she got sick during a meeting."

Yugi thanked him before pulling the curtains of the room back and stepping inside. He looked toward the bed but it was empty. After scanning the room he saw movement on the balcony. There you were, resting your arms heavily on the rails and looking out at the sky as the sun prepared for its descent.

You must have heard his footsteps as he approached, because you looked over your shoulder at him and gave a very forced smile. "Evening, Yugi."

"How are you feeling? Jono said that you were sick?"

You scoffed and turned away, "I swear, everyone is making such a fuss over nothing. I had a bit of a dizzy spell, that's all."

He closed the distance between you two and put his hands on your shoulders. The muscles there were tense and without a thought, Yugi started to rub them in an effort to soothe. "Let me guess, you're annoyed that they threw you out of the meeting over it?"

"...Yes..."

Yugi bit back a smile, he was sure the pout on your face was just as cute as the pout in your tone. "If you really did feel dizzy, it was probably best that you came here. After all, Atem wouldn't be able to think straight if he was worried over you- and you  _know_  he would worry."

You sighed and leaned back into his touch, actually resting your cheek on one of his hands, "I know, I'm simply frustrated. It was all Atem could do to get me into the meetings in the first place."

Gently, Yugi turned you to face him, trying to think of a good distraction to give you. However, as he tried to find a suggestion, Yugi found himself getting lost as he looked into your eyes. You were waiting patiently for him to say something, but his words seemed to leave him.

Yugi could not blame Atem for falling for you. Your kindness was only matched by your strength and over the months, Yugi had felt quite honored that he had gained your trust and friendship. Now that you were part of his life he could not bear the thought of not having you in it. Somewhere between the long talks and laughter-filled nights he...

A sudden touch on his cheek snapped him out of his thoughts, "Yugi, is something wrong?"

When had his hands trailed down from your arms to rest on your hips? Yugi felt a rush of heat at his action, but he still did not pull away. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment." He cleared his throat which suddenly felt dry. "Pretty selfish of me, you're the one in need and you're asking if I'm alright."

The suddenly firm look on your face and the way you put your other hand over his face made an odd flutter fill his chest. "Don't ever call yourself selfish, Yugi. You are the most selfless person I know and don't you ever forget that."

"Sorry," he mumbled. Damn it you were cute when you were bossy.

Before he could stop himself, his eyes darted down to your mouth. You were so close, lips just inches from his own- before he knew it he was closing that small gap, arms wrapping around your body as his lips captured yours. Had you struggled he would have released you in a second, but you didn't. You gasped but after a moment your fingers were tangling in his hair. Gods above did you taste sweet and Yugi moaned as his lips moved over yours. That night by the reflecting pool, you had said that Atem was so easy to love, but did you realize how easy it was to love you as well?

He groaned at the way your hands tugged at his hair and almost as if on instinct his lips were abandoning yours to search lower. He pushed aside the ornate necklace at your throat and locked his lips there. When you let out a loud moan as he hit a sweet spot, he chanced a glance at the space of skin. There was already a notable mark there, Atem must have done it, he had always been passionate when it came to-

Suddenly Yugi shot upright, a look of horror on his face. Atem- by the gods he was kissing Atem's wife! The look of shock mirrored in your eyes only sent his sudden mix of feelings to a new high. Was this even allowed? How much of a betrayal was this? He had always said that Atem would be his one and only but now... things had changed so much, what did crossing this line with you mean?

Like a punch to the gut, you and Yugi both seemed to become suddenly aware of the other presence in the room and turned to see Atem standing in the doorway to the balcony.

"Atem, I'm sorry I don't know what-" Not knowing what to say, Yugi held his hand over his eyes and pulled away from you, stepping back in shame. "It wasn't her fault, I kissed her and I-"

Hands clasping his own made him halt his haphazard apology. "Yugi, stop, you have nothing to be sorry for," Atem assured and one look at the softness of his features eased the panic Yugi felt. Atem let a moment of calm pass before he let go of Yugi's hands and cupped his face instead as he smiled. "Honestly, does it truly come as a surprise that something like this would happen?"

"I- I don't know..." So many thoughts and feelings were bombarding him that he couldn't seem to think straight in the moment.

Atem, ever so patient, continued to smile, "Yugi, do you love me?"

"Of course."

"Do you love her?"

The answer only turned in his mind for a moment, before he looked over Atem's shoulder, locked eyes with you, and nodded.

Then Atem turned to look at you, holding out his hand, "And you? Do love us?"

A heartbeat passed and then you were smiling, taking Atem's hand as he pulled you in closer to them both. "Yes."

That came as a bit of a shock to Yugi, them again, you had openly admitted before that you saw the reason Atem had fallen for him. Was he truly lucky enough to have both of you return his affections?

"I think this was all meant to be," Atem said softly, clasping Yugi's hand in one of his own and yours in the other as he brought them up to his lips. "We were meant to make each other happy."

Yugi again bit back a chuckle at the way you blushed as Atem kissed your hands. Sometimes he couldn't believe this was the same pharaoh who had been all awkward blushes and shy touches when they first started their relationship years ago. But he was and the pharaoh was right. This, the three of you,  _felt_  right, Yugi just needed time to realize it. Everything had shifted in the past months, he was just so grateful that this seemed to be the end result.

***

Out of all the things that had happened since you married Atem, this was by far one of the most surprising. Seto actually said that he respected your opinion.

"You know that area better than any of us would, my queen, so I will follow whatever advice you and the pharaoh give."

At the priest's words, you saw Atem cast you an amused sidelong look from his throne before getting back to the matter at hand.

"I agree with her initial plan. We will send three parties of ten to search the area she's marked, and with any luck, we will root out the last of the bandit's horde."

With that command Seto, Mahad, and the other's present bowed to him, echoing an 'it will be done, my king" in unison before gathering up their things and taking their leave to see that the orders are put into action.

Once the room was cleared you heard Atem chuckle as he rose from his seat. "I thought you might faint from shock at Seto's compliment. Are you still certain you'd rather marry an ox than him?"

Deciding to play your husband's game, you crossed your arms, huffed, and said, "Certainly. Though I might give him credit enough to say that the marriage would only be  _slightly_  better than being bound to him."

Another chuckle as he closed the distance between you two and brushed some of your stray hairs from your face. Now that the moment of humor passed, he saw the way your face slowly slid into worried lines as you looked back to the spot where the map had been moments ago. He felt a bit guilty for the jest now, after all, there was a reason you had known the area in question so well.

He took your face in his hands and made you look at him, "Don't worry, my love, your family is safe. Jono swore that he and his men would protect them with their lives if those bandits dared to attack."

You let out a cleansing breath, really, you shouldn't be worried. Atem's forces had already captured the culprits who burned down that village from several months back, all of this was just an extra precaution to make certain they did not have any other followers in the area.

"I know he'll keep them safe," you chuckled a bit to let Atem know your worries were fading, "I should actually feel bad for Jono, my mother's probably putting them to work on the farm, insisting that they do more than stand around waiting to swing their swords."

Atem chuckled as well, that is until he took notice to the sweat on your brow. "The day is hot, my love, perhaps you should retire for the day."

"I'm fine, honestly you don't need to fuss over me so much," you tried to make your tone light and teasing, but he was having none of it.

He slid behind you, put his arms around your waist, and placed a kiss on your shoulder, "Please, you've already been dizzy too often for my liking. Go rest if not for yourself then for me," he ran his hands over your slowly growing belly, "and our little one."

Oh, he had learned how to play you in your time together and you let out a defeated sigh at his words. "Alright, but only if you promise to have dinner with us tonight."

He placed a kiss on your cheek, "You have my word. Now go, before I call Mana to tuck you into bed by force."

"That's no way to treat a pregnant woman, my king," you scolded but he only winked at you before turning away, off to attend the next thing that needed his attention.

It did not take too long to get to your quarters from the throne room, but as you walked down the halls to heed your husband's wishes, you heard quite the argument going on in one of the courtyards. You peered through an archway and saw Shimon arguing with a young man while Yugi stood off to the side, rolls of scrolls in arm and looking very awkward.

"This will be the final resting place of our beloved pharaoh, I don't care what modification you have to make!" the old man scolded. "What our king wishes for our king will get and he wishes for there to be room enough for two sarcophagi in the queen's chamber. Now, I'm sure a smart young architect like you is up for the job, if not, I'll find someone who is!"

The poor man nodded and mumbled a word or two of apology before scurrying off. Shimon sighed before turning to Yugi and the two seemed to discuss something involving the writings that would be carved in Atem's tomb. The conversation did not last long, and as you expected, the two soon parted and Yugi was walking your way.

When he spotted you, his face lit up and he waved, ducking between the pillars to get to you. "It's too hot for you to be out here," he scolded lightly, taking your arm and leading you further into the shade.

"I swear between you and Atem it's a wonder I'm not tied to the bed all day!" you huffed and only got a very interested eyebrow raise from Yugi. You lightly smacked his arm for where his mind had obviously gone.

He chuckled, "You can't blame us for worrying about you."

"Yes yes, I know, but I've already been banished to our room for the rest of the night."

"Well, in that case," Yugi threw a cautious look up and down the hall. When he saw no one, he tucked his scrolled under his arm and laced his fingers with yours. "I'll take the rest of the day off and keep you company." His eyes sparkled with his smile as you two started walking and, as usual, you couldn't help but smile back at him.

When you two reached the pharaoh's chambers you expected Yugi to help you sit on a pile of cushions and pull out one of your favorite games. Instead, he bypassed the sitting room and led you into the bedroom.

"You really should be resting," Yugi explained when you shot him a quizzical look.

You couldn't exactly protest when it came to Yugi, and you especially couldn't when he added an offer of rubbing your ankles for a while. So, you two lay and talked for a while, Yugi telling you the final touches he had put on the inscriptions of Atem's tomb, you mentioning the final stage of dealing with the bandits on the outskirts and so on. Perhaps it was the energy-zapping heat of the day, or maybe you really did need rest, but eventually the two of you actually fell asleep together.

You woke from the light slumber when something shifted on the bed behind you. As your eyes fluttered open against Yugi's chest, a familiar deep tone shushed you as a hand stroked your arm.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to wake either of you," Atem whispered and you noticed Yugi blinking his eyes as well. "Sleep for a while longer, you two. I'll send for some dinner here in a bit."

His lips pressed a gentle kiss to your temple before he leaned over and did the same to Yugi's forehead. And with that, Atem settled on your other side, sliding his arm over your waist and resting his hand on Yugi's hip. You let out a content sigh, thinking that this had to be as close to perfection as any mortal could hope for.

 


	5. Between Your Boys (Smut/Lemon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Me posting two one-shots in the same month?? Did I sell my soul to a demon to accomplish this???  
> Haha, in all honesty, I had no idea I was going to be able to do this. I found this piece 99% done in my drafts folder yesterday, I had forgotten about it accidentally, apparently. Then I had a bit of unexpected free time today so I finished it off, revised, and now here we are!   
> This is my first time writing 3-way smut, so hopefully it's okay. No real plot behind it, just shameless smut with your boys. You three are in an established relationship and everything. Enjoy <3

You closed the lids over your blurring vision, needing the reprieve from the bright screen. Letting out a tired sigh you leaned back in your desk chair, both to relax and to put distance between you and your work. You were no stranger to late nights but you were already fizzing out and it was barely 11 pm on a Saturday. Maybe you had tried pulling too many of these recently, or maybe it was just one of those nights where your heart was less invested in the work, either way, you were craving the touch of your boys.

You had excused yourself after dinner, as they were used to when your computer called for the extra effort. Yugi had barely hidden his pout, obviously hoping to have cuddled between you and Atem on the couch to watch a movie or somesuch. Atem had simply given you a wary smile, his eyes conveying a bit of worry. It wasn't too late, maybe they would be up for some cuddle time on the couch now.

Saving the document before shutting your laptop down, you rose and stretched your arms above your head. The second room of your apartment was half guest bedroom, half workspace for you and your boys. Two bedrooms had been a must when all three of you signed the lease and for the sake of any neighbors that might be of a conservative mind; you let them assume it was Atem's room. Of course, only your closest friends knew why the space was not needed, and why the actual bedroom was grossly occupied by a large king-sized bed.

The door had been closed in an effort to keep you focused. Ha, little good that did tonight. But it had apparently blocked out the...ruckus across the hall. As you drew near the door in your leave, you heard it, but it only became particularly clear when you actually opened the door. Deep, alluring moans drifted out from the bedroom. It was little wonder you hadn't noticed till now, the boys were trying their best to be respectfully quiet, not only out of consideration for you, but your neighbors.

Atem was louder, his groans mingling with Yugi's soft whispers. You bit your lip, already feeling that familiar heat rising between your legs. In a few quiet steps you were at the doorway to your bedroom and the sight that greeted you was magnificent.

The comforter was pushed aside, leaving only the dark red sheets below their hot bodies. Yugi was on top, his front pressed against Atem's back, face buried in the crook of his neck as he pounded into him. Lush pillows supported Atem's pelvis, providing more comfort and better access for Yugi's cock. Atem's eyes were shut against the pleasure of his boyfriend's rutting hips and hand which was no doubt pumping Atem's member with every thrust beneath the pillows.

Then Atem opened his eyes and locked his crimsoned hued violet irises onto you. If he was the slightest bit surprised to see you standing there, he didn't show it. Even if he was surprised this was not an uncommon occurrence. Two of you pleasuring each other while the third enjoyed the show was half the naughty fun of being together. Sometimes you rode Yugi on the living room floor while Atem sat back on the couch, other nights Atem pinned you to the wall while Yugi braced himself against the nearest piece of furniture. Then other times still, the boys took each other like this. Of course, there were plenty of instances where all three of you were active participants and you had even though about joining them now, but Atem's eyes were pinning you on the spot.

Yugi was still unaware of your presence, too busy pressing kisses on Atem's shoulder and neck, his eyes closed in concentration on the movements of his hips and hands. But Atem. His eyes conveyed all they needed too, his half-lidded gaze speaking volumes.  _'That's it, watch. Watch me get made into a moaning mess of a man. Enjoy it, let me see that enjoyment. Touch yourself. Give me a view, just as we're giving you a show.'_

Your hand was moving to the waist band of your pants, but you kept your eyes locked on his. Both your boys were big on eye contact, looking at each other, conveying loving laments and dirty desires all in one while you made love. You started rubbing yourself, wanting to work yourself up even though the wetness was practically dripping down your legs already. Soon enough you moved on and slipped two fingers inside, rubbing your clit with your thumb as you went.

When you bit your lip and moaned against the first physical wave of pleasure, Atem moaned as well. He had been sounding his pleasure plenty, but the added sight of you sent his exclamations louder. Yugi's own sounds pitched higher, more whimpering, he was drawing close to his end. So was Atem. Gods he loved the sight of his partners pleasuring themselves, almost as much as he loved the feel of his cock filling his lovers, or himself being filled. So, of course, the double onslaught of Yugi's skillful hips and the view your fingers moving in and out was making him come undone fast and hard. Atem gripped Yugi's hair as he came, the hand around his cock pumping his seed onto the bed sheets as his man filled him with his own.

Yugi was panting in his ear as Atem rode the afterglow, eyes closed, though they were already craving the sight of both his loves. He opened them, found Yugi's sweet face as he laid down beside him, catching his breath. Then they landed on the doorway- and he was disappointed to find that you were gone.

"What's- wrong- Atem?" Yugi asked between panting breaths.

"She was watching us, but I don't think she had enough time to finish herself," he drew a pillow more secure under his chin, still watching the doorway. Surely you hadn't gone back to the other room. Surely you were wanting to be satisfied. "I wonder why she didn't join us."

"Hm, she probably didn't want to interrupt," Yugi mused, looking at the doorway as well "and she probably left so we could have a chance to catch our breaths. Buuuuut" he rolled onto his belly, matching Atem's pose, minus the lift of his ass provided by the stack of pillows. "We should see if she wants her turn. Go get her and I'll clean up some of the mess here."

Atem complied in an instant, rising from the bed and not bothering to cover himself. A quick glance across the hall said that you weren't in the second bedroom, and a short stride down the hallway brought him to the bathroom. You were drying your hands off on the towel by the sink and looked up at him with a small smile.

"Did you manage to climax?" he asked, always so straight to the point.

You shrugged "No, but that's okay, I enjoyed what I saw." You winked at him, stepping away from the sink.

When you crossed the threshold and closed in on him, he pulled you against his body and kissed you. He still had so much passion in him, even after being pounded into the bed just minutes ago. You moaned against his mouth, his skillful tongue playing with yours, alternating with his teeth nipping at your lip. Then you felt another set of arms wrap around you. Yugi let out a content sigh as he buried his face in your shoulder. One hand brushed teasing fingertips over your hard nipples as the other trailed down your chest and stomach. They toyed with the band of your underwear, you having discarded your PJ pants in the bathroom.

"Let's get you to the bedroom," Yugi whispered in your ear, sending your knees into a weak state.

Atem stepped back and let his partner grab your hand, guiding you back to the haven you three shared. Sure of his steps, Yugi kept his excited eyes trained on you, backing into the room before he turned your bodies so your back was to the bed. Gently he pushed, so you were seated before him and Atem.

"Not that don't want you, both of you, but" you eyed their flaccid members "I'm not sure you're recharged enough yet."

"Hmm," Yugi hummed, crawling onto the bed and settling behind you, "I think we can manage."

When he eyed Atem the taller man only smirked and said, "I'll get the toy box."

Again Yugi started toying with your breasts as Atem got on his knees and rummaged under the bed. He soon produced a decent sized black box and pulled off the lid to reveal all the little toys you three had collected over the years.

Atem looked up at you. "What are you in the mood for tonight?"

You answered with a thoughtful hum, leaning back against Yugi, only to end up closing your eyes against the pleasure of him kissing your neck. Even with his playful little bites you managed to answer, "Just something simple tonight. Maybe my favorite vibrator?"

Atem let out a little chuckle as he pulled out the requested item. Rising, he braced his knees on the bed, on either side of your body as he purred a seductive, "As you wish."

With gentle expertise, Yugi pulled your body into a more comfortable position, bearing all you had to Atem. He was still behind you, quite content with kissing your neck and stroking your body, but now your legs and pelvis were posed just right for what they had in store for you.

With a press of his thumb, Atem activated the toy and the gentle buzzing sent waves of anticipation through you. He ran a hand up your leg, bringing his knuckles to run across the inside of your naked thigh. He tested the waters, pressing his fingers to the fabric of your panties.

"Hm, so wet, you're already soaked through. How long do you think we can tease her for, Yugi?"

You felt the man in question grin against the skin of your neck, "Don't tease her for too long," he punctuated his next words with a kiss just below your ear "but we want her to have fun, so, why don't we just see how much she can take before she starts begging."

You let out a mocking huff of annoyance, "You two are so evil."

Atem chuckled again while Yugi answered by nipping your earlobe. Your eyes were still closed, just enjoying the feel of being between your boys. So when Atem replaced his finders with the tip of the vibrator without warning, the light moan from Yugi's love bite pitched into a gasp of pleasure. The pulsating tip pushed at the only fabric covering you, and Atem circled your entrance as his free hand continued to stroke your thigh. Then he dragged the tip up to your clit, again making circular motions for a moment, before he rubbed the flat of the shaft against the bundle of nerves.

"Look at me." It was whispered and gentle, but still holding an undeniable layer of command to it.

So you looked at him, and had to bite your lip to keep from whimpering instead of moaning when you saw the look in his eyes. Then you felt a thumb pull at your bottom lip as Yugi once again moved his mouth from your neck to press against your ear.

"Hey, I'm the only one who should biting that lip right now," he whispered.

You half expected him to maneuver his body and your head to pull you in for a kiss, but Yugi knew Atem wanted to keep your eyes on him for awhile yet. So he resisted the urge and settled for focusing on his hands and where they were on your body. You were still wearing your shirt and Yugi slid his hands under the fabric, craving bare skin contact. As Atem continued to tease the tip of the toy against your clit and entrance, Yugi rubbed soothing circles on your stomach with one hand while the other traveled up to massage your breast.

Then, rather abruptly, the warm hands were removed from your body as Yugi let out an annoyed huff. He moved to slide your shirt over your head, trying to keep his tone sultry as he said a quick and needy, "I don't want you covered up. I want to see all of you, my queen."

Gods you loved it when they used that special nickname on you. Apparently, Atem shared the man's sentiment because as his Aibou worked on removing your shirt, he pulled the tip of the toy away and hooked skilled fingers under your soaked underwear. With swift but tactful motions your boys had you bare within seconds, naked and already panting between them. You couldn't help the little whimper that escaped your throat at the sudden rush of cold air against your previously warm skin.

At the sound, Yugi pulled you more securely against his chest again before saying, "Don't worry we'll warm you up...Actually..." you knew he was raking his gaze over your bare body even if you couldn't see his face "Atem, switch positions with me for a bit?"

He obliged without protest, pulling away from his spot massaging your legs just as Yugi moved from behind you. Instead of taking up Yugi's previous spot, Atem opted to place a firm hand on your chest and push you to lay fully on your back against the soft sheets. He laid down beside you, pulling you into an almost lazy kiss as Yugi settled between your legs and wasted no time in executing what he had in mind.

You gasped against Atem's mouth as Yugi plunged his tongue between your folds. The vibration that hummed through his mouth and therefore between your legs told you that Yugi was quite pleased with your reaction. Atem didn't release you from his kiss, having plunged his own tongue into your mouth when you gasped. You locked your fingers in their hair, utilizing both hands and giving their scalps proper attention as they pleasured you.

They seemed to work together. When Yugi licked a long strip along your folds, Atem pinned your tongue with his. When Atem lapped teasingly in your mouth Yugi traced his wet tip against your soaked skin. A firm stroke here chased by a moan, a languid swipe there followed by loving nips against lips or thighs.

Though their teamwork left you an utter mess already, Yugi pulled back before you could get too close to your peak. Atem pulled back as well, once Yugi gave him a pat on the thigh. Though all you wanted to do was close your eyes and let them plan their next move, your gaze stayed trained on them as Atem sat up to join Yugi. Well, both of them were back at full, hard attention now, all due to your fevered moans and gentle hair tugs.

Atem cupped your face, smirking in satisfaction, "Already such a moaning mess, I think we've teased our queen long enough, Yugi."

The man in question hummed in agreement before grabbing your hands and pulling you to sit up. He rubbed the back of his fingers along your cheek as he asked, "What position do you want tonight? Tell us."

"I- I want to suck you off while Atem takes me from behind," your tone was breathy, accompanied by half-lidded eyes as your hands traveled up and down their chests.

Atem chuckled in appreciation and leaned in close to your ear as Yugi moved to retake his first position on the bed. "Well then, my queen,  _bend over,_ " the last words were a husky order, which you followed in an instant.

Turning over onto your knees you saw that Yugi was propped up on his elbows, legs spread and hard cock ready for the taking. As Atem poised himself behind you, running his hands along your lower back and asscheeks, you had that content, almost overwhelming feeling of fitting perfectly between them.

Atem moved first, sliding in nice and easy, drawing a long moan from you as you shamelessly lifted your hips, baring yourself to him even more. As he set his pace you took Yugi's member in your hands, looking up at him as you started with a few pumps. He was a nice sight to look up at, his eyes full of want and love as he gazed back. His hand bushed back his damp bangs from his face before he reached down and tangled his fingers in your hair.

"I thought you were going to suck me off," he accused, growing impatient with your teasing hands.

It was hard to speak with Atem pushing in and out, even with his slow pace, but you managed to answer. "Maybe I'm w-wanting to pay you back for your t-ah- teasing."

You felt Atem give a particularly hard thrust, before leaning against you, his chest against your back. "Give him what he wants, my love. You'll be too much of a mess to please him soon enough anyway." Another rough thrust to make the whisper hit home, especially when you cried out.

Wordlessly you caved, giving Yugi's shaft a long lick before diving, taking his full length in one motion. You reveled in his loud moan and the way his fingers fisted in your hair for a firm tug. His cock got a wonderful vibration sensation, buried deep in your throat as you groaned in pleasure from Atem's thrusts.

Atem was pounding into you faster now, fingers digging into your hips as he kept them as still as possible, not allowing you to push against him as he moved. He loved having you at his mercy, it was only a shame Yugi hadn't had time to tie you up nice and pretty with his favorite silk ropes. Oh well, this would do just fine.

You were already starting to lose focus from the pleasure of Atem's thrusts but you wanted to make sure Yugi got to his end, so you cupped his balls and started playing with them as your head bobbed up and down. His lavender eyes closed and he threw his head back with a cry of your name, the fingers in your hair tightening for just a second before he made their grip loose and gentle again.

"D-damn it, you're so good to me," Yugi whispered, his tongue swiping over his lips to help his obviously dry throat. "Make sure she comes nice and hard, Atem."

The man in question chuckled from behind you as he slowed his pace, "Not yet, partner, I think I'm still in the mood to hear her beg tonight." He gave your ass a hard squeeze and you tried to no avail to push your hips closer to him. When you made a desperate moan around Yugi's member Atem ran his hands up your back, "Shh, my love. Get him off first, then I'll make you beg for me."

Well, that didn't take long. Yugi didn't hold himself back from his own orgasm at all and after a few more strokes of your hot lips, he was yelling in pleasure and filling your mouth with his load. He looked down at you, face flushed and eyes half-lidded as he watched you clean the mess he made of your lips and his cock.

Again Atem chuckled that husky laugh as Yugi relinquished your hair- only to be replaced by Atem's fingers. The rings on his digits felt cool against your scalp as he gently pulled your head back. He leaned in, whispering, "I hope you aren't too spent, my love. I'm not done with you yet." Then he planted a firm kiss on your lips, groaning at the mixed taste of you and Yugi on your mouth.

The moment he released you from the kiss he put his strong arms to use and turned you onto your back. You were cradled in Yugi's lap as Atem took your legs and lifted them over his shoulders. He grabbed his member and ran the tip between your folds, dipping in just enough to taste, to feel him, but not enough to satisfy.

"I want to hear you," Atem demanded, keeping his eyes locked on yours as he teased.

Damn it, even when he was just on the verge of pleasuring, he still managed to send you reeling with lust. Your hands reached up to grab Yugi for support and his lips kissed your palm as you weakly gripped him. "Please- please, Atem, please fuck me. I need you- I need you inside me!"

In a scream of pleasure, he was buried deep inside you with one hard thrust. He waited until you mumbled one more desperate 'please' before he resumed his relentless pace. Maybe it was the way Yugi never stopped touching you or maybe you were just too damn hot to need much of a push, but soon enough you were crying out and throwing your head back as blinding pleasure filled you to the brim.

Atem kept going. He hadn't cum yet and you let him use your body as he pleased, tears welling in your eyes from the overstimulation. Yugi kissed your cheek, holding you in place for Atem as the man moaned and groaned in his pleasure. Then your nails were digging into skin, hands were all over you, and Atem filled you up as you came again.

Your heavy pants were mixed with a few exclamations and curses, unable to believe how the world seemed to fade and flicker around you for a moment when they made you cum so hard. Then, the scene came back to you as hands cupped your cheeks and Yugi's voice filled your ears with soothing whispers. Atem brushed his thumb to wipe away the few tears on your cheeks.

"Are you- alright?" he asked between his own pants.

You smiled and nodded, leaning into Yugi's lips as you pulled Atem to rest against your chest. "I'm fine, my boys just know how to make me see stars."

Yugi positioned himself more comfortably under you so the three of you could cuddle properly. "I assume you won't be getting up anytime soon?" he asked with a chuckle.

"You expect me to be able to walk straight after that?"

Atem hummed and smiled up at both of you, taking Yugi's hand in his as he placed lazy pecks on your collarbone. "Go to sleep, you two, we'll clean up in the morning."

Yugi obeyed and settled in, snuggled against your back and sighing contently. You couldn't help but to sigh as well, everything always felt so  _right_ when you were between your boys.


	6. Deprivation (Smut/Lemon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another little smutty something for you guys because I'm a dirty ho. This is the shortest thing I've written in a while, butI wanted to explore a particular kink and I think it turned out pretty well! Tell me what you guys think at the end <3
> 
> Warnings/kinks: Sensory deprivation, double penetration, bondage, blindfolds, and very very slight concent play (sort of?)

The wait. The wait was the most agonizing part of all of this. Then again, it did prove to make your expectations and excitement spike more by the second. Helpless and unaware of what was happening around you, that’s how you had wanted it, and by the gods, it was working. The leather that held your arms above your head kept you in place, suspended and kneeling on the bed. Velvety earplugs blocked any sound that might indicate if they were even in the room. The silk blindfold left you in complete darkness. And the gag in your mouth wouldn’t even allow you to call out to them. You were completely at their mercy, whatever they decided to do to you they could, and you wouldn’t even know it was coming. Your excitement was practically dripping down your legs at the thoughts.

You were on the verge of calling out over the gag if only to moan a muffled ‘touch me already!’ to let them know how desperate you were, but your body was shook by an almost violent cry of relief before you could.

All at once, hands were touching you.

One slid up from behind and wrapped around your bare stomach while its pair shot up your back and grabbed a fist full of your hair; pulling you back and bearing your neck to whoever might be waiting in front of you. Someone was, as another set of hands gripped your thighs and pulled you against a firm body.

In a flash, lips and teeth were claiming you.

The one behind you nipped playfully at your shoulders, making trail marks with his teeth from one end to the other. The one in front kissed and bit your neck, making sure to circle teasingly around the spot both of your boys knew you were weakest for. You were certainly going to look like a hickey covered mess in no time.

The hand that had been rubbing soothingly over your belly moved downward and started toying with the waistband of your lace panties. At the same time, the ones on your thighs traveled higher, taking a teasing dip under the band of your bra.

Lips that had been nipping at your shoulders darted up to pull playfully at your earlobe, and even through the plugs, you could hear a growling tone demanding something- right before you felt your panties being torn apart. You squirmed against the act making sure to wiggle your ass as much as possible as he pulled the shreds of lace away from your dripping pussy. Eager hands pressed against the heat, fingers dipping inside you as the heel of a palm pressed hard against your clit. A cry of pleasure left your throat, absorbed by the gag but you were sure they still heard how desperate it was.

Your bra was next to go, the strapless lace making it easy to toss away and the hands that did started kneading your breasts. Moans turned to outright screams of pleasure when he pinched your nipples right before a wet tongue started lapping at one. His teeth grazed the sensitive spot, alternating with the swipes of his warm tongue, all while the other pair of hands were mercilessly rubbing you down.

Then the mouth left your breast, making you whimper at the sudden cold rush of air against your wet skin. But he wasn’t done, he pulled at the gag, bringing it down and freeing your mouth. He didn’t move, even the hands between your legs slowed. Oh, they were checking in on you, giving you a chance to say the safe word just in case this little experiment was too much.

“P-please don’t stop!” you managed to squeak out instead.

A second after the words were out a hot mouth was on yours as he used the gag that was now around your throat to pull you closer. He moaned against your lips as he pushed his tongue into your mouth with a desperate need. Behind you, hips were grinding against your bare ass, a hard cock pressing threateningly against the cloth of his boxers. You were only given a moment to breathe when the lips left yours before the one behind you was turning your head towards him and claimed them next. The position again bore your neck and again teeth were on the sensitive skin in an instant.

It was astonishing how, even with all your other senses suspended, you could still discern who was who by the feel of them. Atem was the one at your back, giving your clit and mouth all his attention, while Yugi was the one in front, pleasurably abusing your neck and breasts. God your boys knew how to fuck you. And they were just getting started.

A hand gave a nice slap to your ass as lips pulled away from yours. A second later the mouth at your neck fled as well and you let out a needy whine. You were sure you felt a chuckle reverberate in Atem’s chest against your back but you didn’t have much pride under their teasing hands.

Again you waited, feeling cold without their touch as they did- well, you didn’t know what. You could sense movement, hands and arms stretching out to each other and you thought you heard one of them say something.

You let out a gasp when you felt their touch again, only now their hands and fingers were lathering your lower half up with something silky and slippery. Yugi’s fingers slipped into your pussy as he spread the lubricant over you and he started pumping in and out as something else was pressed against your ass. Atem was dragging the tip of a plug between your cheeks, again giving you the chance to call out the safe word, before be gently started pushing it inside of you. You knew what they were doing, this wasn’t the first time they wanted to take you at the same time, your body just needed a bit of...warming up first.

You let out a deep moan when Yugi hit a sweet spot and started rubbing your clit, just as Atem finished slipping in the butt plug. They did not let their mouths go idle, lips pressed between your shoulders, hot breath tickling the back of your neck as another mouth returned to your breast, paying attention to the one that had been neglected earlier.

Between the fingers, the lips, the plug- everything, it wasn’t long before your first orgasm wracked your body. You weren’t sure how desperate you sounded or even if it just came out as a squeal but your body felt alight with pleasure pressed between them. Your skin whimpered from the overstimulation of their hands and lips but it was exactly what wanted.

And they knew it.

You felt one of them chuckle and thought the other whispered something, but you couldn’t tell. Usually by now Yugi would be whispering praises and telling you to take them both like a good girl, as Atem murmured reassurances and promises of how much was yet to come. You were torn between keeping the mystery of their actions alive by keeping in the earplugs and wanting to hear their voices as they pound into you.

They made the decision for you as they left the silencers in and moved on to their next phase of fucking you senseless. Atem pulled the toy out with ease, replacing it with his fingers and lathering you up with even more warm lube before slipping his hands up to hold your hips. Fingers gripped your thighs as well and they waited for a long moment before pushing inside of you.

A long, deep moan left you as both of them slipped in, filling you up so wonderfully full that it almost brought you to tears. When they were fully sheathed inside of you they waited another moment, letting you adjust to them as lips and fingertips brushed against your face and sides; soothing, loving.

Yugi moved first, pulling out just a bit before slamming back into you. Atem moved opposite of him, sliding out as Yugi push back in; giving you a glorious variety of sensations. You tugged against the wrist restraints, helpless as they pulled your hips back and forth between them like a toy.

Again Atem tangled his fingers in your hair and pulled you back closer to him so he could start biting your neck. Yugi didn’t let him hog you for long, he leaned in and captured your lips again, pressing you harder into Atem’s chest with his own. Though their relentless pace never stopped and was making you come undone at the seams, you tried to be playful and deny Yugi’s tongue as it licked against your lips. He gave a quick slap to your thigh at the same time his thrusts turned even rougher. You cried out, giving him the chance to shove his tongue into your mouth with a moan of his own.

Again you felt a vibration in Atem’s chest, and you were sure he was mockingly scolding Yugi, telling him not to be so rough with you before his slid his own tongue up to your ear and started biting it.

Their thrusts never wavered, their pace mercilessly sending wave after wave of ecstasy through your body. You came again as you gripped the bar your restraints were tied to, turning away from Yugi’s mouth so they could hear your screams of pleasure in full.

They didn’t stop and you found your body again quivering at the way their thrusts bore into you with abandon; one set of hands pulling against the other as they chased their own ends. It wasn’t long before they came undone inside you. Yugi finished first, pressing his face into your neck as let out a moan so loud you could hear it even through your earplugs. As his hot breath fanned over your sensitive bare neck, Atem gripped you tighter, holding your ass firm against his cock as he filling you up and bit down on your shoulder. All of it made a third tidal wave of pleasure surge through you and your spent body went limp with satisfaction between them.

The three of you took your time catching breaths and steading heartbeats. Your skin tingled as their panting breaths cooled your hot flesh. You were sure if it weren’t for the blindfold you’d still be seeing stars.

Finally, after a while, the boys moved again, slipping out of you gently and relishing the way you whimpered at the action. Then one pair of hands worked at the bindings around your wrists, while the other set slipped your earbuds out.

“You seemed to enjoy yourself,” Yugi all but giggled, placing a delicate kiss on your ear.

“Don’t act as though you didn’t, Aibou,” Atem scolded with a chuckle as Yugi moved to take off your blindfold.

You blinked a few times, adjusting to the low light of the room. You were still high off of the experience and all you could manage was a pleased hum and a smile. When your wrists were finally free your spent body fell against Atem’s firm chest. He chuckled again and started rubbing his hands up and down your arms, soothing the soreness the bindings caused.

“Aw, she looks so tired,” Yugi teased, leaning in to rub your equally sore legs as you gingerly stretched them out.

You swatted at him playfully, “Don’t tease me, you’d be spent too if you were in the middle of that.”

“So, you enjoyed it then?” Atem asked in a low, sensual tone.

You leaned in, placed a kiss on his neck and gave Yugi’s wrist an affectionate squeeze, “Enjoy is an understatement. It was amazing! Then again, you two always are.”

Both men smiled at the praise and worked in tandem to pull you up for a kiss from each of them.

“Come, let’s get you cleaned up.”

“And maybe we can talk about next time we want to try this.”


	7. In the Name of the Moon! (Halloween fluff)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang I managed to post something else after my massive Halloween special?? Yup, I did! This isn't much, but the idea kept popping into my head and I just had to do it. This was originally meant to be a chapter in a series I had planned, but in all honesty I'll probably never get around to writing said series, so I'll cherrypick it and pop it here for you guys! I hope you all are at least somewhat familiar with Sailor Moon because...well, you'll see ^o^ Anywho, this is just a fluffy piece set during the "canon" storyline, hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> Oh, also, for those of you who read my Halloween choose your own adventure, I swear there is no connection with the Hanasaki in this fic, to the Hamasaki family in my other fic. I didn't even realize the similarity until I was done, Hanasaki is a side character from that manga, that's all ^^'

“If this thing was any shorter I’d be arrested for showing off too much the moment I stepped outside!”

Anzu’s sigh mixed with your laugh at Jonouchi’s comment when it sounded from the depths of the bathroom connected to the bedroom. It was a little too amusing to hear him and Honda trying to put on women’s clothes for the first time. Or at least, you assumed it was the first time, you weren’t judging.

It had all started with a bet. During a break in class one day, you and Anzu had been playing a friendly game of Duel Monsters, but most of the battle had been marred by Jonouchi and Honda’s sideline comments. Mostly about how “stupid and girly” Anzu’s cards were and how you “obviously just like the pretty pictures” of your cards. The final straw had been Honda’s comments about how the match was anyone’s win since “both girls were amateurs”. Of course, you and Anzu had not taken kindly to the remarks, Anzu being quick to remind Jonouchi how many times she had crushed him at the game, and you telling everyone how Honda had asked for  _your_  help when building his first serious deck.

An argument ensued, which led to a challenge, and subsequently, a bet. Yugi tried to play peacemaker, as always, but the fires of challenge had burned too hot to listen to your sweet boyfriend. The bet was a simple one. There was a costume party being held at the end of the month by the group’s good friend Hanasaki, the winning pair got to choose what consumes the losing pair wore to said party. You’d admit that the boys put up a decent fight, but in the end, you and Anzu had won the tag team duel with 2000 life points to spare.

So, here the four of you were, the boys making quite a fuss about putting on the skirts and high heels, while you and Anzu enjoyed every minute of it.

“Still kind of sad we couldn’t convince Yugi to be the leading scout of our group,” Anzu giggled as she touched up your simple makeup. “I mean, he could totally pull off the buns if we could get his hair to cooperate.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image of Yugi with the long blonde locks and miniskirt of the moon guardian. “Yeah, but he promised he’d do something to go with our group, just not that.”

“Oh, he didn’t tell you who he’s going as?”

The odd tone in Anzu’s words made you quirk an eyebrow, “No, he and the pharaoh said they wanted to surprise me.”

Anzu got a very interesting smile on her face then, “You’re going to love it, that’s all I’ll say!”

You barely had time to register her wink as Jonouchi chose that moment to slam the bathroom door open. “Quit your whining, Honda, real men take their losing bets with pride and dignity!”

You had to bite down on your lip hard not to burst out laughing at the words mixed with the sight of the boys in all their Sailor Scout glory. These were your friends after all, you only wanted their humiliation to be slight, enough to learn their lesson, not unbearable.

“Hey guys, looking good!” Anzu said and the words were actually rather genuine. The boys pulled off the green and red outfits a little too well.

In compromise of the costumes you made them wear, you and Anzu had at least let the boys pick what Sailor Scouts they wanted to dress as, and you and Anzu would pick between the remaining two. You deliberately excluded Sailor Moon from the choices when Yugi denied the costume with a smile, not wanting the boys to argue over who got to be the leader. Jonouchi had picked Sailor Jupiter, saying that at least she looked tough and green was his favorite color. Honda went with Sailor Mars, apparently finding condolence in the fact that fire powers were cool enough. That left you an Anzu with Mercury and Venus. You were happy you got your favorite out of the two and Anzu was plenty pleased with the one she got, stating that as long as she got a picture of the boys in scout uniforms, she was happy.

“Don’t patronize us,” Honda sighed in defeat at Anzu’s comment.

Jonouchi clenched his gloved fist, his eyes more determined than you thought they would be in such a tiny skirt, “Listen, Honda, you can spend all night whining and looking mopey and letting everyone make fun of you, or you can hold your head up high and take the heels ‘n skirt like a man!”

In response, Honda let out another sigh, but put his arms on his hips and straightened his pose, “Alright, guess you have a good point for once.”

“The moment Yugi gets here we’re having him take a group picture,” Anzu’s smile was wide as she snapped a few quick shots with her phone. As if on cue, Anzu’s doorbell rang. “You should get that,” Anzu said, again giving you a wink and mischievous smile.

Not one to argue, and at this point nearly dying to see what Yugi chose as his costume, you hopped off your friend’s plush bed and headed downstairs. You didn’t even realize you were a bit nervous until you had to stop yourself before opening the door. Your boyfriends were already handsome (something you reminded them of often just to see them blush) and you were sure they would try to knock you off your feet with their costume. After taking a deep breath, you opened the front door.

Well. Feet, officially, knocked off.

Standing before you was a literal prince charming. Not only had they chosen Tuxedo Mask as their character, but they had gone the extra mile and wore the [knightly armor](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a1/da/c7/a1dac735af4c55f3af20008deb800fdf.jpg) that the prince wore several times in the movies and show. They kept the white mask in their ensemble, just to keep that charming (and dare you say, seductive) masked hero vibe.

Your chest fluttered so erratically at the sight of the costume that you didn’t even notice the red rose held out to you at first.

“I was hoping you’d answer the door,” the lightness of the tone said that Yugi was in control at the moment.

You had gotten scarily good at telling the difference between Yugi and the pharaoh, especially within this past almost-year of dating them. With a laugh that was a little girlish for your liking, you reached out and took the offered rose. Oh man, just how red was your race right now?!

“Thank you, my dear prince, you’re always so thoughtful,” you said as you held the rose to your face and batted your lashed just a bit, hoping to earn a blush in return.

It worked, and you smiled brighter at the pink dusting the cute cheeks that weren’t hidden by the mask. The transition between Yugi and Yami was almost seamless, but as he stepped over the threshold, you noticed the slight shift in his stride.

Yami reached out and took your hand in his. With the grace of a true prince, he bowed and pressed his lips to the back of your gloved hand. “I am always thinking of you, my princess.”

Alright. They won. You didn’t even care how lovesick you must have looked as his eyes met yours. Yami straightened his posture and looked your costume over, smirking, then chuckling a bit.

“Yugi wants to say that you happen to be dressed as his favorite out the scouts.”

You winked as you turned around and pulled him into the house, “Good to know I’ll be a good view for you two tonight.”

That finally earned you a brighter blush and you had to resist the urge to giggle at how innocent Yami suddenly looked as he averted his eyes. For a man who radiated confidence like the sun does light, he still had plenty of flustered moments where romance was concerned.

You and Anzu did indeed get your picture with your two Sailor Scout boys and you made Yugi promise to let Hanasaki take a picture with all five of you once you got to the party. On the way there Yugi wasted no time in taking your hand in his as you walked, using the fact that Anzu was trying to coach the boys on how to walk in heels as a distraction. You were always careful about not showing too much affection in public, especially around your friends, but this simple act was well within your comfort levels.

Well, between you and Yugi at least. Yami was still very awkward about such things when anyone else was around. He was quite the charmer when it was just the three of you, but stiff posture, slightly stuttering speech, and scarlet red blushes instantly took over when you showed him affection in public. He promised that he was trying to get better at such things, but you didn’t mind. Honestly, it was just plain cute more than anything.

It didn’t take long to get to the party and Hanasaki greeted you all the moment you knocked on the door. The boy was of course dressed as his favorite American superhero “Zombire”, but heaped compliments on your group costume as he took your picture.

The party itself was a nice, decent sized gathering. The five of you spent some time with the host, catching up and having the usual conversations about comic books, anime, and Duel Monsters. Eventually, though your group actually started to split off when Hanasaki excused himself to talk with some other new arrivals. Jonouchi and Honda practically locked themselves in the kitchen; they said it was for food, you said it was to hide. Then Anzu had noticed two of your other classmates that she was close with and, having no shame and outright saying she was giving “you lovebirds some alone time”, scampered off to spend some time with them. You and your boys didn’t mind, though apparently the gathering was still a little too big for someone’s liking.

“You know how he is, just not great in crowds unless it has something to do with Duel Monsters,” Yugi shrugged when you asked if the pharaoh was alright, considering you hadn’t seen him since he kissed your hand at Anzu’s door.

“We could leave early if he wants,” you offered, tone going a bit serious.

Yugi opened his mouth to reply, but paused and gave a now familiar tilt of his head and subtle shift in his gaze. You had learned long ago that these were indicators that Yami was talking to him via their connection.

“He’s insisting we don’t,” Yugi said after a moment, “He says he wants us to have a good time.”

The costume must have been making you walk a bit on the corny side tonight, because you leaned your head on Yugi’s shoulder as you said, “He should know by now that I’m always having a good time as long as I’m with the two of you.”

Yugi chuckled and leaned his head on yours. A comfortable silence took over for a few content minutes as you watched a few of the other party-goers dance in the middle of the living room. When those minutes passed, however, Yugi gently sat both of you upright and hopped up from the couch you had been sitting on.

When you looked up at him questioningly, he held out his hand and put on a very sweet smile as he said, “May I have this dance?”

You hadn’t even noticed a song befitting a waltz had come on, but Yugi had, apparently. You chuckled as you took his hand, “It would be my pleasure, my prince.”

Maybe Yugi was taking hints from Yami, but he really did look like a prince as he linked his arm with yours and led you to the guest-made dance floor. It wasn’t like either of you were formally trained in dance, but Yugi held on to one of your hands with his own and place his other hand on your hip in a typical regal frame. You placed your hand on the armor at his shoulder as you two slowly started moving with the music.

You loved how confident Yugi had become in the last few years. He often said it was all due to Yami, but you and said spirit always reminded him that he should be proud of the strides he had taken. It shone through like a star now, you would have never expected the Yugi from your first year in high school to be holding you so close and dancing in a room full of people.

The red and black cape swished a little with every movement and you had to stop yourself from getting lost in the fantasy of dancing with your handsome knight at a ball.

Yugi actually smirked just a bit, before spinning you in a regal twirl worthy of a ballgown. Your skirt did spin with you rather elegantly for its length, and you were giggling in delight when he pulled you back into his arms. His grip on your waist tightened a bit as he leaned in even closer, and the look in those gorgeous eyes said that Yami was back.

“I don’t think I personally told you how beautiful you look tonight.” you didn’t miss the way his eyes darted down to your lips. “And dancing with you now makes me hope to see you in a gown someday.”

You bit your lip, not caring if he meant a common formal gown or something ceremonial and white, only loving how much your boys truly seemed to appreciate your beauty. They didn’t care about the little flaws that got you down at times, they loved all of you, and made you feel that love every day.

The pharaoh took a leaf out of Yugi’s charm book and spun you in another elegant twirl. The song came to an end with a hum of violin strings as you fell back into his arms, Yami catching your face with the hand not on your waist and rubbing his thumb over your cheek.

Only a few seconds of that heavenly scene passed before the proverbial bubble the dance had put around you two popped. When someone else on the dancefloor giggled, Yami seemed to become all too aware that there were other, far less romantic, people all around. He almost looked ashamed as he averted his eyes to the ground, though still holding you close.

Without a second thought, you took your grip on his hand and led him off the dancefloor, more giggles and scoffs following in your wake. You remembered Hanasaki mentioning his mom’s garden the last time you hung out with him and you didn’t suspect anyone else here would have the need for the spot. As you two walked through the kitchen, you happened to heard Honda and Jonoichi arguing over a plate of sugar cookies.

“Nah man, if I eat too many of these my butt won’t even fit in the skirt anymore!” Honda sighed with all the dramatic air of a middle school cheerleader.

The reply Jonouchi gave was lost as you slid open the back door and stepped out into the fresh, fragrant air of the garden. As you suspected, no one else was out there, and a cute stone bench even sat in the middle of the flower bushes.

You sighed in relief as the two of you sat down and when you looked over, you weren't really surprised to find that Yami had switched with Yugi again. Even Yugi looked a little embarrassed at what had just happened and his thumb ran fidgety circles over the hand he still held.

“He says he’s sorry,” Yugi almost whispered, eyes still on the ground, “he didn’t mean to get so embarrassed all of the sudden. He just…” he shrugged, “just felt like everyone was watching us, and not in a good way.”

You shifted to face him a little better and touched his cheek as you said, “He has nothing to be sorry about. He doesn’t have to apologize for his anxieties. Neither of you do.”

Finally, Yugi met your eyes and smiled that soft, sweet smile, “Yami just doesn’t want you to think he’s ashamed of being with you or something like that.”

You returned the smile, and placed a kiss on Yugi’s cheek, hoping Yami could feel it too. “I know he’s not.”

Again you shifted and rested your head on his shoulder, humming contently in the sweet setting of the garden, alone with your boys. A few comfortable minutes passed, Yugi’s thumb running now affectionate circles over the back of your hand.

Then, Yugi said with a bit of mischief in his tone, “Hey, there’s something I want to do while we’re still in costume.”

You lifted your head and looked back at him, “Oh? And what’s that, my dear Tuxedo Mask?”

He answered by pulling you, with more grace than you would have expected, into his lap. Snaking one hand around your waist, he gripped your hand in his other and tilted you back, mimicking the sensual dip in a dance. He held you there as he looked into your eyes.

“I think we have to share that iconic kiss from the movie.”

Yugi winked before leaning in and giving you that kiss with all the delicate romance the [scene](http://sailormoonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/pretty_guardian_sailor_moon_the_movie_blu-ray_sailor_moon_r_the_movie_tuxedo_mask_kisses_a_dead_sailor_moon.jpg) spoke of. You let out the smallest of moans as you wrapped your free arm around his neck, wanting him closer even as he tilted his head with a sigh of pleasure of his own.

The lips pressed against yours became firmer in an instant, and a hand abandoned yours so it could cup your cheek, drawing you in all the more. Yami was not shy with his affections here and quickly put his tongue to work at deepening the kiss even further. You could tell Yami was tempted, tempted to let his kisses travel down to your neck as they had many times before, but he held himself back, slowly drawing the passion of the kiss back in. At least the deceleration was slow enough to not leave you disappointed.

Yami sighed contently as he pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against yours. “Thank you for being patient with me,” he whispered after a few blissful moments of silence. “Did Yugi and I make it up to you with that?” you could hear the smirk in his tone at that, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Oh you more than made up for it. Who knew I’d get to reenact one of my most favorite tv kisses.” You lifted your head and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love both of you so much,” you whispered.

He still held you close as he brought your lips back to his and kissed you again. Both of your boys poured their reply into the slow passion of the kiss: “We love you too.” You stayed like that for a long while, alone together, content in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! ...well, depending on when you're reading this, I guess lol. Before I go, for those of you who are fans of the show, I wanted to ask, who's your favorite Sailor Scout? Mine's always been Mercury and Jupiter. Anywho, hope you guys have a good Halloween whatever you have planned <3


	8. A Game of Gods (Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is for a dear friend of mine, she gave me a prompt involving our boys being otherworldly beings and asked me to write about it! I was super inspired by her idea and just kept adding to it, and adding to it and now it's this two-part monstrosity lol. I had a ton of fun writing this over the last few months and I hope you guys like it! Fair warning both parts of this fic are very long, so take your time reading them. Also, I know in my last ancient Egypt AU I didn't call Yugi Heba, but I decided to this time around (Heba is the fandoms name for Yugi in ancient Egypt).

The night was late but the moon was high and full in the sky. There had always been tales that creatures of darkness were more active- more ruthless during the full moon, but when it came to you, there was a simple fact why those nights were your most active: it gave you more light to sneak by. The torches the patrolling guards held could only do so much for you and Egypt was a very dark land when Ra's light disappeared over the horizon.

The light of the moon guided you as you climbed the old tarnished sandstone. Your target slept on the second floor and it would not do to sneak in from the level below. Their window only had a tattered curtain drawn over it and as soundlessly as ever, you slipped into the room.

It was a simple home, one room with a cooking pot at the center and a hay mat to sleep on. The family of two slept soundly, a father and his young daughter. They were a kind family, one that had shared even what they could not afford when you were too small to fend for yourself. You had watched the young girl Anya grow from a babe to the little spitfire of six that he was now; as well as watch while her father had to endure the pain of losing his wife in childbirth.

Ever since you had grown and learned to fend for yourself most excellently, you always took the time to repay their kindness. The father never questioned how rations of food and new clothes came to be in their apartment, but you knew that he knew. From your satchel, you drew tonight's supplies: a small jar of honey, a loaf of bread, but most importantly, a necklace. It was a simple thing, one that was not worth much money at all, but it was the only thing they had left of the woman who had birthed Anya. They had fallen on desperate times and a store clerk had taken advantage of them. He must have assumed the necklace held value with the way the young girl clung to it and had demanded they hand it over or he would rescind the small sum of money he was already offering for their wares. Poor Anya had cried for an hour, her father had said, but it was all they could do to survive. You had already planned on...liberating that particular store of some wares before finding out what happened, but the cruel tale had only made you more firm in your decision. And had made your actual act of breaking and entering a bit more vandalizing than usual.

The little one slept with her hand by her head, palm up, so you draped the necklace across her fingers. She didn't even stir and you took your leave after giving her cheek a gentle pat of affection. With ease, you slipped out of the window again and lowered yourself to the dusty ground below. The night was late and you needed sleep, unfortunately, finding a good spot where you wouldn't be disturbed during the night was easier said than done.

Eventually, you managed to climb atop a store that you knew would not open until well after sunrise. It also had a dip in the roof that you could hide yourself in. Even when you had settled there your mind and body were still wired and you found yourself gazing up at the moon with restless eyes. You shivered when a breeze picked up, but it reminded you of something special you had snatched from the store tonight.

From your satchel you pulled out a magnificent scarf. It was a silken thing, colored in red and white, quite the regal dyes for a commoner, though not completely unattainable for anyone who was a little more wealthy than you. You had stolen it on a whim, thinking the wide fabric might be good for cold nights like these and for keeping the sand from your mouth in the day. Honestly though, such a fanciful thing was not likely to last long in the wear and tear of your hard lifestyle.

Still, you wrapped the scarf around yourself and, oddly enough, the silk against your skin made you feel...quite beautiful. Much like the whim you had stolen it on, you stood in the moonlight and started swaying your shoulders and hips to a tune only you and the moon could hear. Only a few minutes of this act of whimsy passed before you settled down and once again found yourself staring at the moon. Nights like this were when the ache of loneliness settled deep and hard in your stomach. You and the moon were similar, you had companions, like the moon had stars in the sky, but they were always at a distance. You tired of your stars being at arm's length, but, what else could a woman with no home or family do?

"Maybe someday we won't be so alone," you whispered to the moon, before settling down for some restless sleep.

***

In all his years, in all the many things he had done and seen in the centuries, the streets of this town had to be one of the most exciting Heba had ever experienced. The pit that had grown in his chest in recent years, the boredom, the apathy- the absence of something great and grand was starting to be filled! There were so many colors and sounds that Heba found himself turning this way and that to catch a glimpse of it all! People walking the streets, calling to each other and shouting for strangers to come closer and look at their wares. Object new and old, made of metal and clay and cloth, some guarded from Ra's sun by canopies of cotton and others pushed along the street in carts without a care.

 _'Why did I wait so long to come here!?'_  Heba thought to himself, his grin so wide it might start hurting his cheeks.

Heba almost tripped on his own feet but caught himself before he fell. He was still getting used to this form but it was terribly embarrassing to blunder so stupidly- especially when he heard a group of young women nearby giggling at his awkwardness. Then he actually blushed when he peered over at them and they started waving at him, batting their lashes and smiling as if trying to lure him over.

With a nervous gulp and a shy wave back, he continued walking down the street. He had to avoid a few civilians who came dangerously close to knocking into him (since he was too distracted with turning this way and that), but most paid him no mind as he walked.

In his exploring, he soon spotted a cart with dates and other foods nearby. Oh, he simply had to sample some of the mortal's food. He started towards the cart, already conjuring up enough money to make the store clerk's day, but he froze as his senses picked up on something that made a shiver crawl down his spine. When he sensed the presence of another 'not mortal' behind him.

"Dearest nephew, what on earth are  _you_  doing all the way down here?"

Heba turned and shivered again when his eyes met the god before him. Though one of such status could take any form he wished, Heba knew who he was by the aura surrounding him alone. Dark hair set in curls around a sharp face as angular as the hound-like creatures who served him. Eyes that a mortal might find alluring, but ultimately had a darkness to them that resembled pits of despair. Heba had only met the Lord of Chaos a few times, but he never particularly liked the encounters.

"S-Seth, what are you doing here?"

The god stepped closer and Heba already knew that he was the only one who could see the god. "I asked you first, little Heba," Seth chuckled, trailing a finger down the younger god's cheek. "shouldn't you be aiding your father and presiding over the dead?"

Heba felt a sudden burst of courage and took a breath, standing up tall. "He has thousands of priests and servants to aid him, he doesn't need my help. As for what I'm doing here, well- I was just wanting to explore a bit, that's all."

"And what does the human world have to offer a little god like you, Heba?"

Again, the 'little god' felt bold when saying, "You come here and play with human's all the time, why are you so interested in me doing the same?"

"True, but it's my nature to meddle with mortals. You, from what are remember, are a sweet little thing. One that hates violence and has a heart pure and bright." Seth placed a hand on his heart and the simpering tone he used to describe Heba made the younger god bristle.

"Why I'm here has nothing to do with you, so please, leave me be." To make his words all the more firm, Heba actually turned his back on Seth.

He heard the god of chaos chuckle in that dark way. "Such sass you have, little Heba! Your descent from our plane caught my interest, that's all. And..." A brush of air crossed Heba's ear and whispered, "let's just say I'll be keeping an eye on you while you're here. Try not to get into too much trouble."

Heba felt the god's presence vanish- but not before a surge of his other-worldly energy made a nearby cart topple over. Heba sighed, feeling a bit shaky after the brief talk, but rushed forward to help the old couple gather their merchandise from the sand. He would have to do his best to ignore the god's final words and forget that he might be watching, he was not going to let Seth ruin his time here!

After a very emphatic thank you from the merchant couple and a purchase of some dates and sweetbread, Heba was back to wandering the streets of the city. The shops and vendor stalls were starting to thin out now, and Heba assumed he must be approaching a more residential area of the town. He didn't mind the idea of exploring here either and he was debating which way to turn next when a shout drew his attention.

He looked up and saw a woman round a nearby corner, sprinting in his direction while looking over her shoulder and panting hard. She looked to her path ahead and their eyes locked. The sights and sounds of everything around Heba, besides this woman, seemed to blur in that moment. Her mouth was covered by the colorful shawl wrapped around her shoulders, but it only brought her stunning eyes into sharper focus. They were so...so...full of life! Even in that brief second, he knew she was one who had a fire in her heart and soul. Her eyes kept locked with his even as she started to pass him- until her elbow hit Heba's arm.

Heba only stumbled from the impact, but the woman tripped and was sent to the ground hard. He was crouched in the dirt by her side in an instant, "Are you alright!? I'm sorry, I should have moved out of your way! Are you hurt?"

His worried ramble was cut short when the woman looked over her shoulder and scrambled to her feet, pulling him with her. Then she was taking her grasp on his shirt and pulling him into one of the darker side streets.

"Please, sir, can you help me?" Her voice was gentle but had an undeniable undertone of fear and urgency to it. "There are these men chasing me, I can't find a guard to help and I fear what they'll do if they catch me!"

She braced her back against the wall of a building and pulled him so close that his body was shielding her own. He was blushing again, especially when she pressed her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his back.

"Please, just stay like this a moment and they might not notice me," she whispered.

Heba could only manage an awkward 'hmhm' noise to signal his agreement and feared that she could hear the heavy thundering of his heart as they waited. A moment passed and he heard the commotion of running feet. He looked to the main road out of the corner of his eye and saw three men run by.

"She must have slipped into one of the shops up ahead!" he heard one of them say. "You two take the ones on the left, I'll go right."

Their voices faded but Heba still waited a few moments before he let himself relax. "I think they're gone," he whispered to the woman.

Another few heartbeats (that he was sure she could hear in his chest) passed before she pulled her face away from his chest and looked up at him. Her scarf had fallen from her mouth and Heba felt the heat of his cheeks increase to an inferno when he saw that her face matched the beauty of her eyes. She said nothing at first, only blinked up at him with a gentle expression. Though the batting of her lashes was not the flirtatious kind of the other women, he still took notice of how sweet the action looked on her. Then, to top it all off, she smiled at him.

"Thank you. I'm not sure what I would have done it they caught me, I'm in your debt." She leaned up and placed a soft peck on his cheek before slipping out of his arms.

Heba was too stunned by the kiss to react at first, but when he took notice that she was leaving, he gasped and turned to stop her. She was already on the other side of the main road and he called out to her but she was already pulling her brown shawl over her hair and face- wait, brown?

He looked up and down the road and found her red silken scarf on the ground. It must have slipped off of her when she fell. Heba quickly snatched it up and tried to chase after her, but it was too late, she was nowhere to be seen.

The young god sighed and slumped against the nearest wall, unable to think of anything but the woman's beauty. Not just her beauty, but that look in her eyes. Heba had grown so bored with his life that seeing a mortal who was so full of it... To put it simply, he was entranced by the mystery woman.

"And I didn't even get her name," he muttered to himself. He wanted to know it, he wanted to know  _her_. Wanted to know who she was, her story, her quirks, her passions, he knew there was more than just the physical beauty and he wanted to uncover it all.

Then, Heba's face lit up and an idea came to mind.

He stepped back into the darker side street and looked around to make sure no mortal would see him. When the coast was clear, he put his fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle that only a certain kind of creature would hear.

In a puff of purple smoke, a jackal appeared, quickly shaking his brown fur as if to rid himself of the smoke. He stretched and gave a cute yawn before perking up at his master. Heba chuckled and gave him a scratch behind the ears. He was a small thing, the runt of his litter and still young since the jackals of the afterlife aged slowly. He would be the perfect candidate for the mission Heba had in mind.

"Kuriboh, I have a special favor to ask of you." The creature's ears twitched with interest as he held out the regal-looking scarf. "I need you to track down the owner of this scarf and take me to her when you find her. Think you can do that for me?"

Kuriboh ran his mussel along the fabric excitedly, his nose wiggling as he took in the scent of the human. When he had obviously gotten his fill, he jumped to give Heba a quick lick on the chin before darting off. Heba watched him go, feeling hope and excitement building in his chest as he hugged the scarf absentmindedly, lost in a daydream of meeting the mystery woman again.

***

Three days. Three days since you had started avoiding the goons sent after you. You were lucky you had lost the silk scarf on the first day, since you were sure the store owner had given that as the main descriptor to find you. You were also thankful to the handsome youth who had helped you that first day, being able to dodge them then had given you a much-needed head start. You were sure that the goons would stop their searching soon, especially since you had taken to spending most of your time on the other side of town the past two days. They only knew the color of your hair and eyes, but there were plenty of women who matched yours and without that flashy scarf to identify you, they would likely overlook you even if they spotted you.

Still, you couldn't help but feel sad at the loss. The brown shawl you usually wore was getting thin and even too tattered to darn; it was doing little to keep the sun off your skin and keep you warm at night nowadays. Besides that, there was simply something nice about having such a regal garment. A silly eccentricity, you told yourself, but it was still nice.

A call of your name drew your attention away from your thoughts and to the road behind you. You had been walking down a street crowded with people but you took notice to your caller immediately. Anya ran up to you at such a high speed that you barely had time to catch her when she jumped into your arms.

"Anya! You gave me a scare!"

The girl giggled, "Did I? Yay! Daddy look, I finally got her!"

Another familiar figure came into view as he wove through the crowd and he chuckled when he saw his daughter in your arms. "Anya, how many times do I have to tell you not to go scaring people? It's not nice."

"Aw, but I only do it to her! And that's just because she's impossible to scare!" Anya wrapped her tiny arms around your neck and snuggled her face into your shoulder.

The little one always had a way of making you smile and you felt the trouble of the past few days melt away. "Are you two heading to the festival?" you asked, taking note of the small drum under the man's arm as you two started walking in the direction most were heading.

"Yes, I was asked to join the drumming circle and I could hardly say no. I hope you're going to spend the day and night celebrating too?" he quirked an eyebrow at you, as if ready to scold you for not taking time for yourself if you said no.

He should have known better, where there was music and dancing you were always not far away. "Of course! I would hate to insult Hathor by not attending the festival in her honor."

"Now, if only you could find a handsome young lover to spend the festival with," he let out a laugh when he saw your eyes widen at the words. He was always making comments like that, saying that life was best spent with a lover at your side. He should know, he often said how Anya's mother had been the love of his life and he cherished every moment he got to spend with her before her passing.

Anya decided to chime in on her father's comment. "Maybe she'll find someone tonight, daddy! I heard that old lady at the fish cart say that Hathor looks over her festival and matches lovers together all night!"

"Hey now, I don't think a little one like you needs to be talking about lovers and their patron goddess," you teased before booping her on the nose.

She giggled but her attention was soon drawn by the crowd gathered at the town square. You set her down on the ground and she instantly took off towards the water well. Her father sighed after telling her not to go far without him as he lingered by your side for a moment.

"I wanted to say thank you," he said in a low tone only you could hear.

You feigned confusion by quirking an eyebrow at him. "Thank you, for what?"

He smiled knowingly, "Anya was so happy when she woke up with her mother's necklace in her hand the other day. I told her to keep it tucked under her shirt for the time being, just in case, but you can't imagine how happy she is to have it back." His expression took on a more serious, concerned look as he turned towards you more fully. "But I heard that you're in a bit of trouble. Something about that cow of a merchant being out for your head?"

You couldn't stand to see him worry and you actually turned away as you said, "I'm doing just fine, don't you worry. His goons don't know me and they'll give up soon enough if they haven't already."

"Hm, if you say so. Still, you know if you need anything, you can come to us." He placed a hand on your shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze before taking his leave to go find his daughter and join the drumming circle.

You sighed, silently thanking him for his concern as you watched the other musicians setting up their instruments. Some folks were already claiming a space by the well as a dancing floor, eager to get the festival started while vendors called for people to come get their beer and sweets now.

You were just debating on where you should sit while the festival got started when you felt a sudden tug on your dress. Looking down you found, to your great surprise, a jackal pulling on the hem of your dress with its teeth! It did not look harmful, in fact, you assumed it was likely a pup at how small and playful it looked. Even the little growls it was letting out were impish as it tugged, like a puppy playing with a length of rope.

Still, the sight made a few other patrons nearby wary. The messengers of Anubis were seen in graveyards and the dunes of the desert, not in the middle of a city. The creature must have sensed the collective unease, because it soon let go of your dress and made a noise at you before running off into the maze of side streets nearby.

You exchanged a few nervous chuckles and confused shrugs with those around you before everyone went back to what they had been doing before the strange sight. After a moment you decided to distract yourself by watching a few of the citizens hang decorative cloths and papers from the buildings to liven up the town square for the festivities.

The musicians had just started warming up by playing a few notes when you heard a light voice directly behind you.

"You are a very hard woman to find!"

You gasped and spun on your heels, mind racing at the thought that those goons had spotted you- only to falter when you saw large, sweet looking lavender eyes meet your own. It was the handsome youth who had helped you that day! He was smiling at you, his eyes bright with excitement and his hands clasped behind his back.

"It's you!"

The young man nodded, looking to the ground as if suddenly bashful. "I was hoping that we would meet again. I should have known you'd be at the festival today."

"You said that I was hard to find, why have you been looking for me?" You didn't want to be suspicious, but having to protect yourself all your life, it was not uncommon for others, especially men, to try taking advantage. Perhaps he read too much into your comment about being in his debt and wanted to collect.

He must have sensed your suspicion, because his face fell as he met your eyes. "Oh! I- I wasn't- I mean I just wanted to-" his hands fiddled behind his back before he revealed what he had been hiding there. "You dropped this when you fell, but you ran off before I could tell you."

It was your silken scarf! It looked freshly laundered, free of any dirt or stale stench that usually clung to clothes in the desert. Though the trouble that scarf caused still echoed in the back of your mind, you felt touched that he went to so much trouble to return it. Besides, you had grown quite fond of the garment in the short time you had it.

"Thank you, it was very kind of you to return it," you said as you took the cloth in hand.

His smile was back and so was the bashful way he kept darting his eyes to the ground. "It was no trouble, really. Of course, I was...in a way, using the scarf as an excuse to meet you again. I didn't get your name the first time we met." He closed his eyes, put his hand over his heart, and gave a very graceful bow. "I am Heba, and you are?"

You giggled at him, not being able to help how charmed you were by the young man. You gave him your name and a small bow in return before saying, "So, Heba, are you going to stay for the festivities?"

"Of course! I've never been to a festival of Hathor before, but I hear they're a lot of fun!"

Your jaw dropped, "Never?! They have them every year, how have you not attended one?"

Heba scratched the back of his head, "I um...I'm actually new to town and before that... let's just say I lived a pretty isolated life."

"Ah, I see. Well, Heba," you started as the band began their first song and those on the claimed dancefloor cheered, "I'll be your guide on how to have fun at parties like these!" You took his hands in yours after throwing your scarf around your shoulders and pulled him into the crowd of dancers.

The sudden redness of his face made you giggle but he soon started to follow your lead as you moved your hips and arms to the beat of the drums and windpipes. Once he got into the rhythm and his awkwardness fell away he actually let out a joyful laugh as you two danced. Not long after you had started, a few girls whisked by and placed beaded necklaces on your shoulders before blowing kisses and dancing away. Then not long after that, a few other patrons snatched the two of you up in their dancing circle and you spent the next song making circles around the dancefloor linked arm-in-arm with others; though you did not miss the way Heba's eyes never left you for more than a moment from his side of the circle.

Eventually, you two took a break from the dancing and Heba insisted on buying you drinks and sweets. You tried to decline at first, but he was already asking for two of just about everything the vendors had to offer. You knew from the easy way he spent it that he likely had a decent wealth of money. It made you feel a bit awkward at first but, honestly, being able to feast on as many sweets and drink as you wanted made that unease flutter to the back of your mind after a while. Especially given how Heba did not act like a pompous nobleman or wealthy brat. The longer you two sat and talked while eating, the more you decided that you quite liked him. He talked about everything as if he was experiencing it for the first time; his eyes alight with wonder and excitement.

It wasn't just that though, he was actually interested in you. Not in the way most men were, he never made a suggestive comment or tried to put his hands on you (besides when he grabbed your hand as he excitedly told you about the pottery shop in town he had visited thrice over). He talked to you and wanted to know your interests, your likes and dislikes, what you did to pass your time, the kinds of people you knew- all sorts of things. Of course, you occasionally found yourself a bit awkward when trying to avoid the fact that you..well...had no home or family and had to steal to survive. It would not do to tell your new friend that you were not who you appeared to be. Still, he was such an easy person to like and talk to, that it soon started to feel as though you had known him for years rather than a few hours.

The two of you talked and danced and drank and ate well into the night, but, eventually, it had to come to a close. It was mostly young people like you who were left this late at night, but before long even they started to dwindle- most in pairs with their hands all over each other, you might add.

Heba must have noticed the end drawing near as well, because he soon took your hand gently, smiled, and asked, "Can I walk you home?"

How could you say no to face like that? Luckily, you knew a building full of one-room homes you could walk to. "Of course, Heba, I'd like that."

You two shared a comfortable silence as you walked, but the closer you got to your destination, the more you felt...felt...something. You weren't quite sure what it was, but you didn't like the uncomfortable tightness in your chest.

It only worsened when you got to the steps leading up into the building you would dub your home. Still, you turned to Heba and gave him a smile. "I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you for spending the festival with me, Heba. It was nice to meet you."

On a whim, you leaned in and kissed his cheek, much like you had as a thank you that day he helped you. However, the moment you turned and took one step, Heba called out.

"Wait! Please wait."

You looked back at him and oh the way the moonlight was making his bright eyes shine. Not just the moonlight, the look in his eyes was like nothing you had seen before and he leaned in closer to you, bracing himself against the sandstone wall as he said, "Can we spend some time together again? You see, I love this town and I love being here but...but these past few days have been...pretty lonely. I'd love to spend more time with someone I can call a friend."

The words struck you deep and you felt a warmth build in your chest as you replied in an instant. "Yes, I'd like that very much!" you bit your lip, thinking for a moment. "Meet me at the water well an hour or so before the sun starts to set tomorrow, can you do that?"

Heba beamed as he nodded his head. "Yes! I'll be there, I promise."

You giggled at his enthusiasm, "Alright, I'll see you then."

With a wave and a wink, you were off, disappearing in the twist of the stairwell leading into the building, leaving a very starstruck Heba looking after you. It was a few long, dazed moments before he finally regained himself enough to sigh and wander back to his own home. You sat on the steps for even longer, lost in your own hazy thoughts. Though you couldn't actually call any of the rooms here home, tonight...tonight you didn't feel quite so alone.

***

The next morning Heba woke bright and early. Too early, actually. He hated how many hours he would have to wait before he saw you again. He hopped off of his bed and ran to the window, looking out over the horizon. The sun was rising, he had less than twelve hours before he got to see you again.

"But twelve hours is so long," he sighed as he slumped against the windowsill. At least the window had a raised cushion beside it so he was comfortable while he pouted.

The inn he had been staying in was quite nice. A cushioned bed rather than a cot, as well as some other furnishings, pillows by the dozen, and fine cotton drapes to make the space feel all the more luxurious. Of course, if Heba knew the way of humans better, he might have suspected that the room had been dolled up a bit when the innkeepers nearly fainted at how much money he had given them for his indefinite stay.

Heba was distracted by his sulking by a gentle pawing at his arm. He turned and smiled down at his faithful companion as Kuriboh crawled into his lap. The little jackal licked at his chin, obviously attempting to cheer his master up. Heba chuckled and pick him up, instantly feeling better from the affection and where his thoughts had drifted.

"She's even more wonderful than I first thought, Kuriboh! She's funny and witty and so full of life! She makes me feel like I can do anything and I know I want to do  _everything_ with her."

He gave a dreamy sigh as he hugged the jackal, for he might have never seen you again if it wasn't for him. Kuriboh was not complaining, he had received quite the stash of treats and toys last night when Heba came home and was glad to see his master so happy.

"Well, we have a lot of time to spare until I can see her again, how about some breakfast?"

After the morning meal, getting dressed with a literal snap of his fingers, and once again giving his pet a heap of treats, Heba busied himself for the rest of the day by once again visiting the market place. He wasn't sure what the two of you would do when you met up so late in the day, but he figured buying some food to snack on wouldn't hurt. He could always just gift the basket of food to you at the end of the night if they weren't eaten.

Finally, the time came and Heba raced to the arranged meeting spot well over an hour before sunset. He did not mind the wait and you did not make him stand there long. When he saw you approaching from a side street, his face lit up and he waved at you, uncaring to how much attention it drew from the other villagers.

Your smile warmed his heart as you closed in and immediately took his hand. "Come, we need to get there as soon as possible!"

"Where are we going?" he asked as you led him through the streets.

Your smile turned quite mischievous as you looked over your shoulder at him, "It's a secret. It's one of the best places in the whole town, but you can't tell anyone where it is, okay?"

Heba put his free hand over his heart and swore he'd keep your secret, feeling a swell in his chest that you would trust him with it. Even if he hadn't promised he might not even be able to remember where the place was, what with all the twists and turns you made through the dusty streets. Being in his human form had its limitations, unfortunately.

Finally, you stopped in front of a building that, from the looks of it, was just a few streets over from the main marketplace. The building itself was tall and looked to have seen better days with how the stone was chipped and broken away in spots.

"How good are you at climbing?" you asked suddenly.

Heba felt a bit nervous, again remembering the limitations of his mortal form. "I'm...decent at it?" he mumbled while scratching his cheek.

"It's alright," you assured with a gentle squeeze to his hand, "I'll help you up."

It wasn't very hard to scale the walls, the chips in the building made for good feet and handholds as long as they didn't crumble further. Though, Heba could not deny the heat he felt in his cheeks when he felt your hands on his legs or arms as you helped guide him.

When you two were finally atop the building you pointed to the one next to it. "Now we have to jump over there."

"A-are you sure it's safe?" He asked, eyeing the dark alleyway below.

"Just take a running leap and you'll be fine!" you assured jogging to the other end of the roof. "I'll show you."

Heba bit his lip hard as he watched you run towards the edge and jump, red silk scarf flowing behind you like a cape as you soared through the air. You landed with ease, alleviating Heba's poor heart as you smiled over at him.

"Your turn!"

With a nervous breath, the young god followed your routine, though right before his feet left the roof he added just a bit of magic to the leap. It was just to be safe, of course, and certainly had nothing to do with impressing you. He couldn't help but smirk when he heard you whisper a 'wow' under your breath at how far he landed on the other side.

"Don't know why you were so nervous," you giggled as you joined his side and linked your arm with his, effectively replacing his smirk with another blush.

He wanted to ask why this was the best spot in the city, but trusted all would be revealed soon enough. His trust was rewarded in an instant. You led him over to the edge of the roof and he could only gasp at the sight before him.

Metalworks, pots, vases, armbands, platters, and more where hung on the walls of the building across from the rooftop view. The gold and bronze pieces were polished so well that the setting sun illuminated them, casting the space into wonderful hues of orange and gold. And if that wasn't enough, the light shining off of the metals shimmered and glittered in an almost rainbow effect, making halos of color gleam off of the pieces.

"I started coming up here when I wanted to be alone or think," you explained in a whisper, as if talking any louder would scare the beautiful sight away. "The man who makes these is constantly polishing his stock so they look more valuable and every time the sun sets, the rays shine in between the buildings in just the right way. It doesn't even look this pretty from the ground, just up here. The best spot in the whole town and no one else knows about it."

Heba let out a breath of wonder. The world of the gods was full of beauty, but this...this still seemed impossibly special. And you had shared it with him.

He turned his head to look at you, but you were still looking at the sight with the most peaceful, gentle expression. Heba allowed himself some time to memorize the way you looked in that moment, the setting sun giving your face a sweet, rosy glow, the way your hair swayed in the gentle breeze, your smile and the way it softened every curve of your face. After allowing himself that, he turned back to the sight you had shared with him and rested his head gently on yours.

"Thank you for showing me this," he whispered and melted at the way you cuddled closer to him.

***

Heba woke much like he had the day before, because today would be the third he got to spend with you! You had said you had some errands to run today, but assured him that you would be wandering around the marketplace and he was free to spend the day with you if he spotted you. Kuriboh was very excited to see his master's happy state continue but seemed to feel a bit left out, as the little jackal all but demanded he go out with Heba that day. The small creature planted himself in front of the door and refused to move until Heba laughed and said, "Alright, you can come too."

The citizens seemed less inclined to care about the sight of a jackal when it trotted alongside a human because very few did more than give the pair a confused look as they ventured around the town. Heba knew he shouldn't tag along your side too early in the day, for fear of you getting tired of his presence, but he still kept an eye out for you. Of course, he tried to pass the time by running his own errand. He wanted to buy you a gift. Not just food or something practical. He wanted to find you something that would immortalize your friendship, something that would show how much he appreciated you and the time you've already gotten to spend together; as well as ensure that there were many more to come.

Unfortunately, as he wandered the shops, nothing struck him as worthy. He knew he would feel it when he found the right token, but nothing seemed just right. It wasn't just that, however. As the day crawled on, a pit began to form in Heba's stomach. It was well into the evening, and he had yet you see even a glimpse of you.

He worried for a moment that you were avoiding him, but you had seemed so sincere about seeing him before you parted last night, surely that couldn't be it! You had that same delighted smile on your face, the one you wore that first night together. The way you held his hands as you said he could spend another day with you had made his heart flutter. So then, where were you?

Kuriboh must have sensed his distress because he eventually let out an excited sound as he pressed his nose to the ground. He had caught your scent again. Heba felt hopeful as he followed the jackal through the streets and soon recognized the area.

He should have thought to look for you in the best spot in the city.

When the creature stopped at the building you had taught him to climb, he sighed with relief. Of course, he felt sad that Kuriboh had to stay on the ground floor while he climbed up to talk to you, but he was sure the treats he have the jackal sated him.

When Heba made it to the rooftop and spotted you at the edge of the other building he wanted to call out to you in excitement- until he saw the stiff, hunched way you sat. Something wasn't right. His suspicions were only confirmed when he jumped across to the main building and you looked over your shoulder for only a second before turning away again.

"You shouldn't be here, Heba." Your voice seemed strained as you spoke and Heba felt his heart sink.

He approached you cautiously and stopped just behind you. "Why shouldn't I be here? I just wanted to see you," he took a step closer, put a hand on your shoulder, "Is something wrong? Please if there is I-" his words turned into a shocked gasp when he caught a glimpse of your face and his heart instantly felt broken. Red and purple covered your features. Scratches and bruises. "What happened? Who did this to you!?" Heba felt a rare anger in his chest as he crouched down beside you and tried to turn your face towards him.

You pulled away, further breaking his heart. "You know that scarf you returned to me?" you whispered, "I stole it. I stole it and some food from a merchant last week. So he hired some men to find me and...I barely managed to get away."

"You stole it? But- but why? I don't understand-"

"Because this is who I am, Heba!" You turned to him as you shouted and he could see tears brimming in your eyes as you continued. "I'm a thief! That place you walk me to the other night? It isn't my home, I don't have one. My parents died when I was little and I've been on my own ever since. I lie and I cheat and I steal to survive! I- I'm-!" Your face fell into your hands as a sob made your shoulders and voice shake "I'm a nobody, Heba."

A moment of silence passed as you tried to hold in your sobs. Heba's mind raced, he desperately needed to find the right words, he couldn't stand the sight of you crying. Why did you hid all that from him? Did you think he would be ashamed of you? Did you really believe all of those things about yourself? No- no! Heba wouldn't allow it, you wouldn't let you think such awful things. He couldn't.

"You aren't a nobody."

Gentle hands pulled your own away from your face before they reached up and tilted your head to meet his eyes. He kept his expression soft as he brushed some strands of hair away from your red, puffy face. He hated seeing the bruises there and he wished he could make them disappear. Still, he managed to give you a smile so you would believe his words.

"You aren't any of those things." He whispered your name as he brushed his fingers over your cheek, mindful of the abrasion there. "You're the most wonderful person I've ever met. I don't care if you had to steal to survive, you're still kind and gentle and wonderful. I'm proud that I meet you and I'm even more proud that I can call you a friend."

He saw your bottom lip quiver a bit, before you threw your arms over him and buried your face in his neck, letting out a few more sobs as he held you. Despite the heat in his cheeks, he pressed his face into your hair and pulled you close. He wanted so badly to take you away from such a life, to provide all the things you needed and wanted. He could, he was as rich as any Pharaoh, but would you accept it?

Eventually, Heba simply resigned himself to the fact that for now, he would just have to be your friend and give what he could where he could; and perhaps someday you would let him care for you the way you deserved.

***

The god of chaos was bored. Not an unusual state for him to be in, granted, but he was in desperate need of something to entertain him. Heba had proved quite boring in his first days of being in the human world and Seth had abandoned watching him after the second day. The young godling was just wandering around town all day, talking to people and buying this and that, all while looking for some woman-

Oh, that's right, the young beauty he had run into. Seth found himself wondering if Heba had found his little love interest, it had been several days after all. A god courting a mortal rarely ended well, so, if Heba had found her, perhaps it could be an interesting heartache to watch.

Heba would likely be unaware of the chaos god's spying, what with their vastly different levels of power. So, when he peeked into the mortal world and found Heba running through the streets with your hand clasps in his, Seth simply kicked back and watched.

You laughed, feeling a childish wonder as your sweet friend turned another sharp corner, "Heba, why are you in such a hurry? The sun doesn't set for a while now."

"I know, but I have a surprise for you," he looked over his shoulder and gave you a playful wink, sending an odd warmth to your chest.

He had said that he wanted to watch the sunset with you in your special spot again, but now you had to wonder what else the young man had planned. As usual, there was no one around to see the two of you climb the buildings and jump the rooftops, but you were quite surprised to see a certain creature sitting in your special spot.

The night Heba found you up here crying, he had introduced you to his faithful companion, Kuriboh. It had not been lost on you that it was the same creature that tugged on your skirt just moments before meeting Heba for the second time. He was a playful, cute little thing and your wariness of the wild animal faded as he proved to be just as gentle as his master.

Now the jackal was sitting in your spot with a bundle of cloth tucked between his paws. Heba ushered you to sit down next to Kuriboh and he himself settled in right across from you as he took the bundle in his hands.

"I have a present for you," Heba started, seeming a bit nervous all of the sudden. "I know you had to get rid of that silk scarf so those goons couldn't identify you again, so I wanted to give you something just as nice. Something that will help keep you cool during the day and warm at night." He started unwrapping the bundle with careful hands before he pulled out a glittering fabric and held it out before you.

A gasp escaped your lips. It was beautiful, not silk like your last one, but a finely threaded, soft cotton. It's colors faded from dark blue to a purple that surely only kings could afford. The colors, paired with the finely polished beads sewn in here and there, made it look like a mural of the night sky.

"My mother gave me this a long time ago," Heba said, smiling at your look of wonder. "I know she would want me to give it to someone special, so, I want you to have it."

"Oh- oh Heba, I couldn't possibly take it. It's too much, I-"

Heba effectively sushed you as he placed the scarf around your shoulders and said, "Of course you can. You look much prettier in it than me, besides, that tattered brown one isn't going to last you much longer."

He giggled at your mock-pout, but ultimately, you had to relent and accept the gift. You were starting to wonder if you could ever say no to that sweet face of his. You looked up into his eyes, whispering a heartfelt "Thank you," as his smile somehow softened even more.

He started to lean closer as he muttered a "My pleasure." Unfortunately, his furry friend had other ideas, as Kuriboh wiggled himself between you two and wagged his tail, seeming to demand a reward or two for keeping the scarf safe.

As the young god and the mortal giggled and played with the jackal of the afterlife, the lord of chaos looked on with curiosity. They seemed quite happy together, you obviously unaware of Heba's celestial heritage, and Heba seeming to bide his time by simply being your friend.

Seth hummed in thought, his mind working on the possibilities this 'friendship' had when he felt another presence appear beside him. He did not have to turn to know who it was, the peaceful (and in his opinion, sickening) scent of lotus flowers gave it away alone.

"So, the rumors are true," Hathor hummed, looking down at the couple with an amused smile. "Not only did Heba venture into the mortal world, but he found a human to play with. How sweet."

"And here I would have thought you'd know of it from the start, Hathor. Even I can see how smitten they are with one another, did you have nothing to do with their coupling?"

The woman scoffed, "I may preside over the affairs of love, but that does not mean love does not take it own course. Still, if I know Heba, it will be a while before their love fully blossoms."

"Bashful little twit, he needs to learn to take what he wants," Seth scowled, earning a glare from the goddess.

"And there's the reason why you've never been blessed with a faithful lover of your own." Though she had not turned to face away from the friendly couple below, Hathor felt smug at the indignant look Seth threw her.

"Come now, dearest niece, we both know their love cannot endure." At his own words, a thought, yes, a brilliant one came to his mind and he tapped a finger to his chin. "Hm, I think I have a way to make this more interesting." A wicked smile crossed the god's face. "Oh yes. I think I'll have Heba and his little pet play a game with an old pet of my own."

Hathor looked to her uncle from the corner of her eyes, "What chaos are plotting now, Seth?"

"Do you remember The Nameless Pharaoh?" he asked with a smirk.

Her brows rose in shock. Of course she remembered The Nameless Pharaoh, that little prank had caused quite a stir among their family. Osiris was not pleased that his brother had entrapped one of their land's greatest kings in one of his backstabbing plots. Nor that Seth had kept said king as his own.

"I thought he was locked away for his eternal torment. Are you going to free him after so long?" Hathor asked.

Seth barked a laugh and shook his head, "No no, that would be too easy. But he's doing very little to entertain me where he is, so..." he snapped his fingers and in a puff of black smoke, a map appeared in his palm. "Mortals are such adventurous, curious creatures. Honestly, I'm doing that little peasant girl a favor."

The wicked smile never left his face as he sent the map down to earth; the first seed of his devious plot.

***

Another gust of wind kicked up some sand and you turned your head away from the spiral, thankful for likely the dozenth time for the scarf Heba had given you. Speaking of, the young man behind you tightened his grip on your hand and grumbled at the sting of sand.

"Where did you say you got this map again?" he asked.

You bit your lip, remembering the abandoned house on the outskirts that you had thought about making into your own temporary home. There hadn't been much left behind, but lifting the old cot piled up in the corner had revealed a possible treasure.

"I told you, I found it while I was exploring. I'm sure the owner of it is long gone by now." You looked over at him, wishing he could see your teasing smirk underneath the veil. "You aren't having second thoughts, are you? You seemed so eager to come out here with me!"

"No- of course not. I just want us to be cautious, that's all." He looked behind him, at the town that was just starting to look smaller as you walked. "We're already about a mile away from town, how much further is it?"

"Not far, don't worry, Heba. We have plenty of supplies to last us," you gave him a playful wink, "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"It's not me I'm worried about," you heard him mutter, the words muffled by his own blue scarf.

Heba had been delighted when you showed him the map that told of an old temple with possible secrets to uncover, saying that he was up for an adventure with a sparkle in his eyes. A reason to get out of town and explore was just what the two of you needed, still, you understood his caution.

Of course, there was one member of your party who didn't seemed concerned at all. Kuriboh walked along the hot sands with his nose to the ground, enticed by every smell and scent he picked up.

The winds had finally calmed down, making it much easier to look over the horizon and try to spot your destination. When you saw an obelisk type shape shimmering under the heat of the sun in the distance, you pointed it out to Heba excitedly. Spotting that and the ruins that came into view just moments after seemed to help give the man some of his adventuring spirit back.

The map had not said what this temple was built in honor of, but one thing was certain, it withstood the years of abandonment quite well. Tall pillars made a wide colonnade that led into the actual building of the temple, which seemed to be in almost perfect condition. You stared in wonder as you passed the painted pillars, wondering what the writings there meant. The inside of the temple looked dark, but luckily, there were torches ready to be lit on either side of the entrance.

However, as you tried to get them lit, you noticed that Heba was looking a bit dazed as he stared at the entrance. Not just him, Kuriboh stood behind his master, posture stiff and eyes fixated on the dark interior.

"Something wrong?"

Your words snapped Heba out of his stooper and he looked back at you, trying to put on a reassuring smile. "No, no. I just got a weird feeling, that's all."

To move the moment along he bent down to help you with the torches and both were lit in a moment. He grabbed one of them and again took your free hand in his as you two entered the old temple together, Kuriboh trotting behind.

More pillars supported the inside of the temple, and again, they were painted with majestic colors and creative drawings. The columns lead to a platform on the other side of the large room, upon which sat a dais- an alter of some kind. Your excitement deflated a bit as you realized that the dais seemed to be the only thing present. Despite its large size and grand pictures, it appeared to be a simple, one-room temple neglected by time.

"This doesn't make any sense," you whispered after another look around the room confirmed that there were indeed no stairs leading downward.

When Heba gave you a questioning look, you reached into your bag and pulled out the map. The old papyrus paper crinkled as you unfolded it and showed the depiction painted into the page.

"See, it shows the inside of the temple, but it also shows stairs leading downward."

After examining it a moment, Heba hummed, "The words beside it says that there's something in one of the rooms below."

You hadn't been able to read the few lines of text on the map, but Heba's translation just furthered your curiosity. The both of you started wandering, Heba looking over the painted walls and you over the sandstone floor as you approached the altar. It didn't take long to find the imperfections under your scrutinizing gaze.

"Heba, come here quick! I think there's a hidden door under the dais!"

The young man and his jackal were by your side in an instant and Heba had to look at the stone surrounding the base of the altar for a long while before he noticed what you did.

When his eyes went wide you said, "Here, help me move the altar, I think that's how you open it."

He did and together you two managed to slowly push the object back, the sound of stone scraping against stone echoing off the walls while you worked. The moment the dais couldn't be pushed any further, a gust of wind colder than anything you had ever felt flew up from the ground. You and Heba had to shield your faces from the sudden onslaught and the wind almost succeeded in blowing your skirts up before it died down. When you looked down you gasped, seeing that the wind had come from an opening, a stairwell that led into dark underground depths.

"A secret passage!" you couldn't help the child-like giddiness in your chest, this was the things stories were made of and here you were exploring it first hand!

You took a very in awe-looking Heba by the hand and started taking cautious steps down into the hidden staircase, being mindful of the fact that there very well might be trap hidden about.

Heba muttered some fascinated exclamation under his breath and you looked over your shoulder to see him looking over the paintings that continued to tell a story along the staircase walls.

"What does it all mean?" you asked, stopping to allow him a longer look at the depictions.

"It's telling a story about a thriving kingdom. How they lived in harmony thanks to a wise pharaoh and the teachings he gave his son for when he took the throne. The people loved their king and when his son inherited the title, he continued his father's legacy of peace."

"Is this temple dedicated to them?"

Heba nodded, "I think so." The young man then gave a nervous chuckle and tightened his grip on your hand. "Let's just hope this isn't a secret tomb for one of them. It would be a great offense to disturb their final resting place."

The thought hadn't crossed your mind, but now that it did, you had to share his trepidation. Still, a reassuring squeeze and soft smile from Heba was all you needed to shoo the fear away and continue your adventure.

Despite taking your time with the stairs, the bottom soon came into the light of your torch and when you, Yugi, and Kuriboh stood at the last step, a vast room the same size as the temple above was revealed to you. At its center stood two statues of hound-like animals guarding a pool of flowing water. It was only when you took another step in did you realize that there were several halls leading off of the main room.

Heba ran up to the pool and leaned over the guilted edge to peer at the water. "It's like a river, I think it's channeled in from the Nile through underground tunnels."

You took a moment to examine the onyx colored statues and felt a slight shiver go up your spine before you turned away and joined Heba by the pool. It was large and deep enough to swim in though you couldn't be sure that was its purpose. Still, at the thought, a mischievous plot came to mind and an equally devious smile crossed your face when you saw how far Heba was leaning over the edge, trying to get a look at the golden etchings at the bottom.

"Heba, give me your torch for a second?"

He gave you a brief look with a raised brow but handed it over- and the moment he did you put the palm of your hand on his back and pushed! He gave a shout as he tumbled into the water and he made quite the large waves as he scrambled about. By the time he was floating upright and giving you quite a pouty look, you were practically doubled over in laughter as Kuriboh bounced happily at the edge, thinking it all a game.

"I'm sorry! I just couldn't resist!"

You deserved the sizable spray of water he splashed at you and you were glad when he joined your laughter. Still laughing, you held out your hand to help him up and promised to give him your scarf to help dry off.

"You're lucky I didn't pull you in with me," Heba mock-scolded, shaking off the worst of the water. He grumbled as he untied the shoulder of his tunic and peeled it off of his chest.

You thanked the gods that he was too busy wringing the cloth out to notice your staring. How had you never taken note to how lean his muscles were?! When you started watching droplets of water cascading down his back you snapped your mind back to reality and made yourself look away.

To take your mind elsewhere, you cleared your throat and said, "I wonder where all of these passages lead."

After he was dry enough, Heba smiled and took your hand again, that sparkle glinting in his eyes and making your heart race. "Let's find out."

All day the two of you explored the catacombs. Most simply led to more empty rooms, as if they had never had a chance to fulfill their use; but down each passage there was more of the story of the beloved kings written on the walls. As you two took your time walking, Heba translated the story for you, his hand in yours the whole time.

One hall told of how the young prince yearned for a love worthy of story and his heart grew colder and more lonely the longer he went without a spark of romance. Another hall told of his father who called upon the wisdom of the gods so that he might teach his son to be an even better king to his people than he had. Osiris and his family favored both men greatly and praised their loyalty to the people of Egypt.

Heba was telling of how the old pharaoh passed and how the son took the throne when he let out a long yawn. You chuckle at his state and suggested that you two head back to the main room and settle down for the night. You had plenty of food and drink to last days in the temple and camping out here would help prolong the adventure. Even though the cave-like underground made the temperature very mild, it was still a bit chilly and you paid no mind in suggesting that you and Heba share the blankets and huddle up together by the reflecting pool. He blushed a bit at the offer but took it nonetheless.

Both of you stayed like that as you talked for a while, cuddled up and holding each other like long-time lovers. The mere idea caused Heba's heart to race, but he was glad he was able to keep relaxed under your embrace despite the heat in his chest. Your arms were wrapped around him with your head resting on his chest, and Heba felt like the luckiest man in the world

"Heba?" you whispered after your talks had faded and he thought sleep had taken you.

"Yes?" he whispered back, running his fingers through your hair and wishing he could bury his face in the strands.

"Thank you."

"Thank you? For what?"

Your grip tightened a bit around him, "Everything. I don't think I've ever been this happy. You make me happy, Heba. I..." You drew in a breath, then shifted and met his gaze, looking up at him much like you had the first day you met. "Heba I- I love you."

The young god's mouth fell open and all he could do was gape at you for a moment. He cursed every second that ticked by where he couldn't respond. The girl of his dreams had just confessed her love- and all he could do was gawk at her like an idiot?!

Thankfully, his body responded quicker and he pulled you even closer, pressing you into his chest and burying his face in your hair. "I love you too!" he finally managed with a quaking breath.

And he whispered those words again and again as he placed light kisses over your face and listened to your giggles at the action. When his lips finally met yours it was as sweet as any mortal pastry or godly ambrosia he had ever tasted. He felt as if he might melt on the spot when your hands came up to tangle in his hair and a soft, light moan escaped your throat as his lips explored yours. He took his time, wanting to savor every inch of you he had in the moment, and you seemed content with the affectionate pace.

The kisses remained light and chaste that night and you two finally fell asleep in each other's arms like new, young lovers.

Heba was so caught up in the adventure of the day and the romance of the night, that his godly senses did not pick up on the shadowy gaze following their every move. Nor did he notice the deep chuckle of a long-dead pharaoh making his own plots in the night.


	9. A Game of Gods (Part Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's part two! Hope you guys enjoyed this mini-series as much as I loved writing it for my friend <3

From above, on a plane that mortals, nor the young god, or the specter in the shadows could sense, Seth watched his little event unfold. The smirk of a cat eyeing its prey and the excited gaze of a child was an odd mixture on the god, but he couldn't help but feel his entertainment was about to get interesting.

"Remember our deal, Seth," Hathor said, hoping her smug tone would put a dampener on his mood. The moment the goddess had realized what his plan was, she had offered to play her own game with him. A wager, if you will. Hathor had faith in love and she was sure this event, no matter how twisted by Seth, would end in her favor.

The chaos lord waved her off with a gesture of his hand, "Yes yes, I know, but for now, dear niece, we are to simply sit back and enjoy the show."

Below you and Heba had just finished a meal together and were back to exploring the catacombs; only this time you wanted to add something more exciting.

"Let's play hide and seek!"

Heba looked at you with his brows knitted, "Uh, I don't know. That seems a little dangerous down here in the dark."

"Oh come on, Heba. There hasn't been anything dangerous down here, besides we have out torches, and if something does happen, the echoes of the chambers will let us hear each other no matter how far away."

After giving a hum and a moment's thought, Heba finally smiled. "Alright, but only if you promise to come out right away if I get worried about you."

"I promise, but, I won't be the one hiding first," you winked at him then gestured down at Kuriboh, "I think he's a bit of an unfair advantage, don't you?"

Heba chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "I guess you're right."

When you turned and leaned your head against the onyx statue to start counting, Heba tiptoes into one of the farther corridors. If you wanted to play, then oh, he would play. Heba ran down one of the halls you hadn't explored yesterday and would hide in the most innocuous room possible. He was already picturing the squeal of surprise you would make when he jumped out and wrapped his arms around you. He was even letting his mind wander to other things the embrace might lead to- when he skittered to a halt.

He heard the echoes of your countdown as he examined the room he came across. All the ones previous had been empty, save for the artistic carving. But this room, in plain view of the doorway, held another altar. He stepped inside, knowing he had time for a quick look around even if he didn't hide here.

Like the other halls, this room continued to tell the story of the young pharaoh, only now, the tale was in the throes of a tragedy. Heba's chest suddenly felt cold and empty as he recognized a depiction of Seth and the walls told of how the pharaoh was lured into a trap by the god.

_A trap- a trap!_

"Ready or not Heba here I come!"

Your voice echoed back to him and he called out your name as he turned on his heel- and was met by a shadowed specter with golden eyes.

"Hello, little god," the shadow said, before grabbing Heba's shoulders and pulling him into an abyss before the godling could even shout in surprise.

Even if Heba's frantic call hadn't drawn your attention, Kuriboh's barks would have. The longer you ran, the more your playful air left you as the Jackal's cries seemed to become more frantic.

"Heba?!" you yelled as you rounded the corner into the room the commotion echoed from.

There was Kuriboh, growling and yowling at a lone dais- or rather, you thought, the golden box sitting atop it. Little wonder why, it was glowing. You tried to ignore the shiver that went up your spine at the sight and tried to find Heba. You looked around calling his name as you scanned every dark corner of the room, but found nothing.

When you turned to start looking down the hallway, the Jackal quickly grabbed the hem of your dress with his teeth and tugged, trying to pull you closer to the pedestal. You let him guide you but were lost as to what the golden, hieroglyph etched box could have to do with Heba's vanishing. The glowing had dissipated now, but the sight still made you uneasy for some reason.

When he whined and turned his nose toward the object you sighed and reached out to lift its lid. You hissed in pain and drew your hand back the moment your fingers touched the golden metal; it was burning hot!

"What the hell is going on here?" you whispered to yourself.

Taking the scarf from around your neck and wrapping it around your hand you were finally able to nudge the lid off. Inside were what looked like dozens of oddly shaped golden pieces to....well, you didn't know what.

"It is a puzzle, my dear. A mystical one that has trapped dear Heba inside it."

You gasped at the sudden voice behind you and spun around to face it.

Standing before you was without a doubt the most beautiful woman you had ever seen. Her dark hair somehow had a coppery tone to it and fell in elegant curtains above her shoulders. You had heard of young men in love comparing their lover's eyes to gemstones but none could possibly match the glittering quality of hers held. Not only that, but she simply radiated a strange warm glow, one that made you content to stare at her for hours.

You must have stared for at least a little, because she giggled and took a step closer to you as she said, "There is a way to get your beloved back, you know, but it will take a great test of commitment and loyalty."

Her words brought you back to reality, "What is it? What do I have to do?" You supposed you should have been asking where she came from, but everything seemed to be turning upside down today.

Oh, she seemed quite pleased with your readiness. She waved a hand bedecked in dazzling jewels, ushering you over to the dais and the golden box atop it. "See the inscription upon the chest? It says that the one who solves the puzzle inside will be granted a wish." She stepped behind you and leaned down to your ear as she gripped your shoulders. "If you managed to gather the patients to complete the puzzle, what would you wish for, my dear?" she whispered.

Though the hands at your shoulder seemed gentle at first, there was a dangerous warmth to them. Even if her beauty could be held by a mortal, there was still no doubt that this was no human and you suspected that you could not lie to her if you wanted to.

"I would wish for Heba. For him to come back to me safe and sound so that we could be together."

She gave a content, loving sigh, "Just the answer I was looking for, my dear!" she gave your shoulders a gentle push "Go, complete the puzzle and you will have your love returned to you."

As she stepped away you couldn't help but turn and ask, "Not- not that I'm ungrateful, but...why are you helping me?"

The goddess, yes, there was no doubt that that was what she was, looked back at you in silence for a moment. Then, she closed the distance between your bodies again and stroked a gentle finger over your cheek. "Let's just say that I'm a champion of love."

To further shock you to the bone, the goddess leaned down and kissed you! It was a light kiss but one that, at least for a second, made your lips want more. It must have been her natural enchantment because she when she stepped away, the want dissipated in a flash.

"Finish the puzzle, dear, and your beloved will be free. But be warned, there is another after his heart and no matter how noble a man was in life, the shadows of that prison can twist even the kindest of hearts into something wicked."

And just like that, in a puff of pink smoke that smelled of lotus blossoms, she was gone.

When she reappeared at Seth's side he was quite annoyed, only pleasing the goddess further. "You thought she was going to choose riches and gems as her wish, didn't you?"

In a very not-so-godly manner, Seth crossed his arms with a pout. "Humans are usually so mundane and predictable. But, I suppose even a peasant girl like her can surprise you every century or two."

Hathor let out a sigh and leaned against her uncle's shoulder, "Oh, Seth, what I have been trying to teach you and the others for years; is that love can make creatures, god, mortal, or otherwise, do crazy things."

***

Heba was not used to being caught unawares. Or rather, caught by things of the goldy and supernatural nature. He might have been a young, minor god, but he was still a god nonetheless. He woke from the sleep the overwhelming dark power had put him in and shot upright with a gasp. The room had no windows, stone walls echoing the cold and dark loneliness of the room. In contrast, the bed Heba was laid out on was quite lavish, with plush pillows and silken sheets. Still, even with the luxury, he could sense a deep wrongness in this place. It was another plane, somewhere that transcended physical beings, similar to the godly plane only...darker.

"There is no need to be frightened."

Before Heba could get up that same deep baritone voice of the specter called out to him. He looked around and found a man, not a shadow, a man sitting at the foot of the bed. His features were sharp, all strong lines and serious curves. He wore the garments of a king, though he did not bear a crown. Red eyes looked Heba over with a glint he couldn't quite place and before Heba could stop himself, the word "handsome" came to mind.

"Why did you bring me here?" Heba demanded, trying to sound intimidating.

The man chuckled and leaned closer, bracing his arms on the bed. "I've been watching you, little god. You and that woman have been having quite a bit of fun in my temple." The wicked humor in his eyes softened a bit, "Such a sweet devotion you two have for each other. You have no idea how pleasant it was to have company after so many years alone..." His eyes shifted to something even colder than before, "Pleasant and  _infuriating_." The man jumped to his feet, taking in shallow breaths as if trying to calm himself. "So many decades trapped here. Alone in the darkness. The shadows make for poor company-" he stopped himself with a sudden slower, deeper breath, "But that's alright, I have you now."

Heba ignored the pit of fear vying for attention in the pit of his stomach. "You're the Pharaoh the story spoke about. You were trapped here by Seth, weren't you?"

"I was tricked and imprisoned like a rat!"

The shout and the way the king suddenly rounded on him made Heba jump. Though there was no real light to cast shadows, darker shapes along the walls seemed to answer his anger and dance in an agitated shimmer.

When he saw the fear in Heba's eyes, the man softened his stance. "Apologies, little one. I have not had company in so long, I did not mean to frighten you." He took his seat at the foot of the bed again but the look in his eyes still unnerved Heba.

"Did you do anything to her?" Heba found himself asking, worried that he hadn't protected you from whatever was at play here.

"Who? That human girl?" The pharaoh scoffed, "You needn't worry, she is unharmed and unable to bother us."

"I want to see her," Heba snapped.

Instead of answering the demand with his own flare of anger, the man simply chuckled, dark and deep. "That is not possible. You see, your human form let me take a very drastic liberty with you." He leaned in then, and whispered into Heba's ear, "You are trapped here with me now, my love."

In an instant, Heba shoved the man away and scrambled out from under the luscious covers. The pharaoh was not perturbed, simply smirked up at Heba as the god tried to gather his power and break whatever curse was placed there.

He couldn't. Heba felt his heart sink when he realized he couldn't do a damn thing in this realm of shadows. The seals were too strong whether placed there by the shadowed pharaoh or Seth himself, Heba was trapped.

Feeling a surge of desperation Heba ran for the open doorway of the room and came into another dark hallway. These were unlike the ones of the temple, these were harsh and cold corridors that the longer Heba ran he realized were a literal maze. Most of the rooms he came across were either locked or pits of imposing darkness the likes of which he had never seen. He finally opened a door that offered something else, but it was simply another cold room with a stone throne at the center.

The pharaoh sitting on the chair was still smirking and he looked at Heba. "There is no way out of this puzzle. I have been here for decades and searching for an exit will simply drive you mad."

"You're lying," Heba all but growled, "you were able to show yourself in the temple."

The man sighed, "Yes, after a few years I was able to gather the power to extend my being in order to wander the temple, but I can't go beyond that, nor for a very long time. I am tied to this place. Forever. As are you now."

Heba shook his head, as if the desperate expression could dispel his words. Then- because he needed to do something, anything, Heba turned and ran down the halls again. He ran and ran but only came across stairs that lead nowhere, halls that ended in stone, and those horrible shadowed pits.

By the time he came across it, he almost felt relieved to see the room where he had woken in again. He didn't even mind the pharaoh sitting on the bed with a patient, stony expression.

Heba slumped against the doorframe, panting, "W-Why did you trap me here?" he asked.

The specter looked back at the god and again, that almost cold look in his eyes turned to something softer. "Because I want what you have. That devotion and tenderness. Is it so wrong of me to want such companionship and love?"

Heba closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It was obvious that this spirit didn't realize what he was doing was wrong, should he waste his breath trying to convince him that he was?

"You can't force feelings like that. If you want a friend, I-  _we_ , could have been that to you, but you trapping me here won't make me love you!"

Instead of simply ignoring the comment, the pharaoh actually chuckled, "We shall see, little one."

Again Heba sigh. He had tried to use his magic several times since waking, but it was no use, something had shackled his powers like a caged and sedated animal. He might as well play nice with his warden.

"What's your name?" Heba asked, still leaning on the doorway, remembering that the story had never mentioned the young king's name.

The tiny smirk that had lifted the corners of his mouth playfully fell, his eyes still boring into Heba's. "I don't know. When I was imprisoned here my memories were stolen from me." Finally, he looked away from Heba, casting his gaze over the uninviting walls. "All I really know is that I am trapped here as an internal punishment for something I can't even remember doing."

Heba's eyes widened at a memory decades and decades old. He had been helping his father prepare a body for the afterlife and the old jackal god mentioned the latest turmoil happening between Seth and Osiris.

_"Egypt can't have a great king for long without Seth putting a stop to it," his father had said, sounding rather tired. Heba had heard that Egypt had enjoyed a rather prosperous lifetime under their current ruler and how his son looked like he would keep that legacy going. "Honestly Osiris should have expected this, but what's done is done."_

_"What did Seth do to the young king?" Heba found himself asking._

_"He told the boy that he could grant him heavenly powers that would help protect his people. That he could be even more divine and bring Egypt into an even greater era. All the Pharaoh had to do, was win a game."_

_Heba sighed, knowing how it must have ended. Maybe the Pharaoh thought that his blessings from the gods would protect him, but a mortal had never bested the god of chaos no matter how blessed. He felt his heart go out to the young king, also knowing how merciless Seth was._

"You're the nameless Pharaoh," Heba whispered, taking steps closer despite himself.

The shadow king looked back at him again, an eyebrow raised, "Oh? Am I a legend among the gods?"

"You could say that. I'm sorry, but I don't know any more than you do when it comes to who you are." Hell, Heba hadn't even asked what the king's name had been when his father told him the story.

Again, the royal's eyes bore into Heba's as if searching him, reading him. Then, he was smirking again and reached out, grabbing Heba's hand and pulling him into his lap. "No need to be sorry. Now, please, tell me more about yourself, it's been so long since I've been able to hear anyone speak."

***

Time was irrelevant in this realm of shadows, that, Heba learned very quickly. He didn't know how much time had passed while he was asleep in the Nameless Pharaoh's bed, and he had no more idea how much time passed as he played nice with his keeper.

He worried about you almost constantly. Did you know what happened to him? Did you think he had abandoned you? Were you safe? Were you searching for him? Heba had asked only once more what had become of you, and again, the young king waved his question away and told him not to worry about such things.

Despite the agitation of not knowing how you were, and more so, despite himself, Heba did not find the specter's company as appalling as he first thought he might. There was still an uneasiness he felt at the unpredictable mood swings; ones where the pharaoh seemed to go into something short of a rage. But the man always pulled himself back together quickly and apologized rather sweetly to Heba for the outbursts. Truly, Heba knew this was the result of gods knew how long of being alone, and Heba felt his heartache for the lonely king.

That did not mean he forgave his warden altogether, however. During their talks Heba often found himself growling in frustration and demanding to be released from this cage. Every time the pharaoh simply smirked and said he could not. That they only had each other now. Heba tried not to waste his breath with such arguments, but he couldn't help how infuriated- not to mention confused the situation left him. One moment he felt his heart go out to the cursed king, the next he wanted to shout a few choice exclamations at the man.

To avoid just that, Heba found himself wandering the cold halls of the labyrinth prison. He had never much cared for being alone, but here he felt the need to step away from his only companion, if only to clear his mind for a bit. The pharaoh let him have his alone time when he asked for it...well, at least he usually did.

"My powers may be gone here, but I can still sense you following me," Heba said, sounding more cross than even he expected as he narrowed his eyes at the churning shadows along the wall.

Gold in the shape of eyes appeared within the mass and blinked at Heba. The young god had to stop the word "cute" from entering his mind as they looked at him with something short of bashfulness.

"Apologies, my love," the shadow whispered as it slowly took the form of the regal man, "I was worried you had gotten lost. You were gone for quite some time."

Heba crossed his arms and looked away from the man bowing to him in atonement. "I can find my way back. I'm good at puzzles and this maze isn't that hard to navigate when you get used to it."

Heba almost flinched when a cold hand laced its fingers with his own, tugging his arms to uncross. "Come back now, my love, we can play a game of Hounds and Jackals together."

"D-Don't call me that," Heba muttered as he tried to fight the blush creeping onto his cheeks. "How many times do I have to tell you? You can't make me love you!"

The king's full lips pinched into a thin line as his eyes narrowed and something dangerous shifted in those ruby irises. "And how many times must I tell you? I am all you have now!" The hand around Heba's tightened, but when the god flinched the fingers recoiled at if burned. The pharaoh took in a deep, shaking breath, "Forgive me," he whispered to Heba and despite the number of times he had heard those words already, the Heba's heart felt sore yet again. "I promise I will be patient with you, Heba. I've waited years to have someone by my side again, and I will wait for you as long as it takes."

And with that and another bow of his head, the spirit left in a whisp of shadows that retreated along the stone walls. Heba sighed to himself and leaned against the wall nearest him. He knew his heart had always been a soft one, no matter how irritated or upset he got with the cursed pharaoh, he couldn't bring himself to hate him. If anything, he wished he could help the trapped king. He remembered reading this man's story with your arm linked in his own. Both of you admired the young prince in the tale, but this being of shadows was not the man he was meant to be.

Another disheartened sigh left Heba at the thought of you. How was he going to get out of this prison and back in your arms without breaking the cursed king's heart?

When Heba finally returned to the pharaoh's chambers, they did play a game together. It was one thing they had in common, and the spirit loved the challenge Heba gave him when they played. Heba had worried that the unstable king would be mad at his winning streak as their games continued, but on the contrary, he seemed delighted when Heba won. He said it just meant he had to try harder to beat him, and that such a rivalry would prove useful during "their eternity together" to keep things interesting.

"I knew my heart made the right choice when it picked you," the king said and the words made Heba feel uneasy again, even as they played one of his favorite strategy games.

Apparently he had impressed his keeper when he took one of his most valuable game pieces. When Heba looked up and met those ruby eyes, he again found himself confused. The look in them was so soft, so sincere, but he couldn't- he simply couldn't give in to those sweet eyes. Still, Heba didn't pull away when the pharaoh reached out and took his hand gently.

"You really are perfect, Heba. I can see why she loves you so much."

The tone was light, wanting to draw Heba in for an intimate moment, the moments this spirit seemed to crave, but at the mention of you, Heba felt his heart sink for at least the seven hundredth time since being there.

Heba sighed and found himself returning the king's affectionate grip. "Can we make a deal? A prize for the winner?"

The look of delight dimmed a bit in the pharaoh's eyes, "Are you going to ask to leave if you win?" he asked in a whisper.

"No, but I want to see her again. Surely you have a way for me to check in on her, just to see if she's alright."

For a long moment, the man of shadows simply looked back at the young god with that blank expression still on his face. Heba wondered if another second's long burst of anger was coming, but was surprised when the king simply sighed, then smiled.

"Since your loyalty is one of the many things I love about you, I suppose I can not fault you for it. Very well. If you win, I will let you see her again. But, if I win,  _I_  want something from you."

Heba felt heat creep up his neck as those red eyes bore into his own with a knowing look. Before the lonely king let his thoughts go too far Heba blurted, "How-how about a kiss? If you win, I'll give you that."

The smile widened and the fingers around Heba's gave an affectionate squeeze. "If you are willing to give it, then I will gladly accept a kiss when I win."

"Don't count on that, my pharaoh," Heba found himself smirking before he could stop himself, and just like that the game continued with both men concentrating harder than they ever had during their games.

The spirit wasn't the only one who liked the challenge of these battles, and again despite himself, Heba was smiling the whole time. A piece taken here, a strategy thwarted there and for a long time it seemed they were evenly matched, but in the end, there was only one victor.

Heba wanted to cheer when he took the piece that ended the game, his heart fluttering in a mix of nerves and delight at the prospect of seeing you again being within reach. When he looked up at the pharaoh he did not look angry, but rather, a stonier version of disheartened. The king sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his regal chair.

"You win, my love, and I am a man of my word."

With a snap of the spirit's fingers, shadows gathered along the empty wall beside them and conjured up a large ornate frame. An image shimmered within it, and Heba bolted up from his chair and pressed his fingers to the frame as an image of you came into view.

Heba felt his stomach drop at the scene. You were crowded around a small fire, Kuriboh in your lap and the scarf he had given you wrapped around your shoulders as you shivered. He recognized the room. You were in the chamber that he had been taken in, and small pieces of a golden something spread out on the ground beside you.

"Hm, she hasn't given up yet I see," The pharaoh mused as he looked on as well from his seat.

Heba couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off the scene of you as he asked, "Given up? What are you talking about?"

"She was told that solving my puzzle would free you. That room you found when I took you? It holds the very item we're imprisoned in." He scoffed then, narrowing his eyes at the image of you sighing and turning away from the fire and back to the scattered pieces. "It's hopeless, the puzzle is nearly impossible to complete. Still," a smirk crept across the spirit's lips as his eyes softened on you, "I truly do admire her dedication."

"How much time has passed?" Heba asked.

Red eyes flickered to him, but the king closed them as he said, "Three months. It has been three months and she's barely put together half a dozen pieces, yet she has not given up on saving you."

Heba whispered your name as his eyes watched you work tirelessly on the confusing pieces. At one point you moaned in frustration and ran your hands along your face. His heart felt like it was being clawed at even as Kuriboh whined and licked your hands and face in an effort to comfort. The young god did not care for the eyes burning themselves into the back of his head as he watched you. He would not apologize for loving and missing the woman of his dreams.

"Heba."

The tone was gentler than he would have expected from the king given the heat of the gaze on his back. Heba looked over his shoulder as the spirit rose from his seat and approached him.

"What will it take? What will it take to earn that kind of love and devotion?" he asked, and Heba had yet to see such profound heartache in those eyes. He didn't flinch as the pharaoh took his hands in a surprisingly soft grip. "I will do anything you wish, I will overcome any test of devotion you want, I will give any favor you ask of me- anything! All I want is your love, genuine and sweet." His hands darted up to cup Heba's cheeks and the young god wanted to gasp at the sudden passion. "Just tell me, tell me what I must do to make you love me as much as I love you," he finished in an intimate whisper.

By Ra Heba wanted to give in to the touch, despite every bone of common sense in his body he wanted to give the cursed king what he wanted- but the image of you, endlessly working to free him to have him back, was still burned into his mind. Three months and you had yet to turn your back on him, and he refused to turn his back on you.

"I'm sorry," Heba whispered, feeling tears bubbling up from his chest, "I'm sorry, but I can't love you, not when loving you means giving her up."

The growl of rage that erupted from the pharaoh's throat almost scared Heba. The gentle hands at his cheeks turned hard and biting as they darted downward and gave Heba's chest a hard push. The god fell back on the lavish bed, but he sat back upright in an instant as fear warmed his veins. The spirit had not moved to strike or pin Heba in his rage, rather he was pacing the room with a storm in his stride, his mind seeming to work madly as he moved.

"I won't be trapped here alone again- I won't! You don't understand, how could you? I can't go back to the darkness alone. Even if you hate me for it I'll- !"

The king paused his mad rant as his sights happened to catch your image in the mirror again. He took a step closer to it as Heba watched, the fear rising the more he stared at you. What was the spirit thinking? What was he planning? Heba didn't care if he was powerless here, if the king planned on hurting you Heba would die stopping him.

The heat of fear turned to cold terror as the pharaoh spoke again. "I know first hand how months of loneliness can drive one mad. She must be desperate for company." He looked over his shoulder at Heba with the fires of a new scheme burning in those ruby eyes and smirking lips. "If  _you_  will not return my affections, perhaps  _she_  will."

Heba jumped to his feet with a cry of "No!" but it was too late. The pharaoh was gone in a shimmer of shadows, and the young god was left alone in the puzzle prison.

***

Another shiver crawled across your skin. You hadn't noticed it on your first night there, what with Heba's warm arms wrapped around you, but even in this cave-like cavern, the temperature dropped at night. The walls of the hidden temple, which at first seemed so vibrant and mysterious, now only felt cold and isolating to you. Three months had taken its toll on you, but you held on to the flame of hope in your heart, the image of seeing Heba's smiling face again keeping it lit.

You had thanked every god possible for Kuriboh during your time here. Without the comfort of his companionship, you felt you might have gone mad by now. Said creature nuzzled your chin again after the shiver of cold and you managed to give him a smile as you scratched behind his ears.

"I know, little one," you whispered when he gave a whine, "I miss him too. But don't worry, I don't care how long it takes, we'll get him back."

With a sigh you had hoped would steel your resolve, you once again turned to the infuriating puzzle splayed out before you. In some moments, you could have sworn the pieces looked as if they were mocking you, laughing at your helplessness and telling you to give up. It was a mad thought, you knew, but it somehow spurred your determination in those weak moments. As if the need to prove the condescending puzzle wrong by completing it was an added bonus to getting Heba back.

You picked up the small section you had put together and started working. That piece looked promising- no, the curve of it was slightly off. What about this one? No, not that one either. Over and over your tried, feeling as though you had gone over every jagged piece a thousand times over until-

"Yes! Kuriboh look! I put another piece together!"

You let yourself feel the triumph, knowing that if you didn't take solace in these small victories you might actually go insane.

"Congratulations, you've gotten farther than I thought you would."

A scream almost escaped your throat at the sound of the voice behind you. Kuriboh let out a warning growl as he jumped off your lap and you darted to your feet. You turned and landed eyes on a man leaning against the dais where the puzzle box had been. He seemed quite at ease and looked you over with an expression that was almost blank if it weren't for the slightest smirk tugging at his lips. He was dressed in regal clothing and though he did not wear a crown, a royal air emanated from him.

"Who- how did you-" for a rare time, words seemed to fail you as you worried that your mind really had cracked and brought a companion to life for you.

As if reading your mind, the man's intense eyes softened a bit, "Don't worry, you have not gone mad, dearest one. And to answer your question, I am the spirit of the pharaoh these walls speak of," he waved his hand at the inscriptions you couldn't translate, not taking his eyes off of you.

"A spirit? But, shouldn't you have moved on to the afterlife?" Suspicion was growing in your chest, especially since Kuriboh had not relented in his growling and his hackles were up as he stared the specter down.

Those ruby eyes turned a tad forlorn, "Ah yes, your love did not get a chance to read you the part about my demise did he?" With that, he turned and walked over to the walls covered in art. You took note of the fact that he made not a single sound as he moved. "You see, I was not king for very long, before the Lord of Chaos, Seth, ensnared me in a trap, and locked me away down here, alone and hovering between worlds, for all eternity."

You watched as the pharaoh ran his fingers over the picture of a man kneeling before a god. You had spent a long time staring at these walls and had always wondered how dark the imagery truly was. Then, when the man suddenly turned towards you again, you couldn't help but flinch at the sudden movement. Perhaps it was your years on the streets making you ever wary, or maybe your months of isolation had set you permanently on edge, but something seemed...not right about this visitor.

At your nervous movement, an emotion you didn't have time to read flickered in the spirit's eyes. Then that very slight smirk was back in place. "It is alright. I have no intention of harming you."

"My friend here doesn't seem to like you much," you said, looking down at the fight-ready Kuriboh.

"Yes, the messengers of Anubis are right to be wary of me. To them I, a spirit hovering between worlds, am...unnatural. But I promise you have nothing to fear from me. Even if I wished to hurt you, I couldn't. It takes a great deal of my power to interact with things on this plane in a physical way. As it is, I am expending much in order to show myself to you now."

"So that's why you haven't shown yourself to me until now?"

The spirit's smirk increased and you wished you could read the thoughts playing in those eyes. "Yes, partly. I will admit another reason was because I assumed you would give up on completing my puzzle and leave." His eyes trailed down to the completed pieces in your hands. "I am quite impressed by your determination."

"You said that this was your puzzle? Could you help me solve it?" You didn't care about thanking the compliment, if this man could help you get Heba back, you had to ask. "Please, if you've been watching me, you must know that my companion, Heba, was trapped inside this puzzle. Is there any way you can help me free him?"

For the smallest second, the pharaoh's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. The next second he was turning away from you and the fear that you had offended royalty bubbled up in your chest. You took a step closer and reached out a hand, then paused when you remembered that you likely couldn't touch him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive, I've never interacted with royalty before and, I'll admit, I'm desperate to have him back."

Your words had gotten quieter the longer you spoke and still the spirit had his back turned to you. If the tales about this young king kind heart were true, then surely he would want to help you. Still, even if he didn't, did you want to risk offending him and losing the only person you had to talk to?

"May I ask your name?" you said when you realized that you didn't know it.

For another heartbeat or two, the pharaoh kept his back to you, until he let out a sigh and said, "I don't have a name to give you, dearest one. Part of my curse in being trapped here is that my memories are lost to me." He turned back to the pictures on the wall and though he wasn't facing you fully, you saw the look of profound melancholy on his face. "All I can do is read about my life on these walls. A stranger even to myself. I have no real concept of the people who supposedly loved me, or the joys and heartache I went through. I have to spend eternity looking in on glimpsed details of my life, like a stranger watching through a window."

Your heart went out to the young man and you even felt an urge to put your arms around him. Even if you could the gesture probably wasn't welcome, you had heard tales of peasants being executed for daring to touch the body of a pharaoh. Then, in the silence that followed an idea came to mind and you looked down at the partially completed puzzle in your hand.

"Maybe I can help you." When the whisper left your lips he turned back to you with a delicately curious expression. "I was told that if I complete the puzzle, I could wish for something. I'm going to wish to have Heba back, but I'm sure I could spin the wish to free you too!"

He watched you for a moment, eyes and body so still that you started to feel uneasy under the ruby irises. Then, he was stepping closer to you, ignoring Kuriboh's growls and the fact that you took a step back in fright. His body was barely an inch from yours by the time he stopped and those eyes were still boring into you as he lifted his hand and hovered it so close to your cheek that you thought you could feel it.

"That is very kind of you, dearest one, but I'm afraid you have been lied to. The puzzle does not grant a wish. True, if you manage to complete it, then it will likely free Heba and may also release me on some small level, but I know Seth will not let me go so easily." Then his hand actually touched your cheek, cupping it so gently you almost gasped at the affection. He must have been expending quite a bit of energy to make you feel the delicate touch. "Still, I thank you for trying to help me. You have a kind heart."

You didn't like the way said heart was fluttering under the handsome man's gentle gaze. Guilt followed every flutter, as if Heba were looking on in heartbreak, so you made yourself step out of his grip and start back towards the fire.

"There has to be something I can do to help," you said, hoping he wasn't too hurt from your action. You looked up at him as you settled back down by the fire and the golden pieces. "I'll find a way. After I free Heba we'll find a way to help you." When you gave him a warm smile you could have sworn you saw some red creep onto his cheeks. Then you knew he was blushing when you added, "No one deserves to be left alone."

***

Not long after your promise was made the nameless pharaoh had to excuse himself from your company, saying that his power was weakening and he had to rest. So again you were alone with your jackal, fire, and puzzle. Kuriboh seemed more than fine with the spirit's departure and slept soundly on your lap for the rest of the night. When your vision started to become blurry you finally relented and curled up on your shabbily made sleeping pallet with Kuriboh and got your nights rest.

Your dreams were fitful that night. Visions that bordered on nightmarish played in your mind; images of being trapped in the temple for the rest of your life, Heba being taunted by shadows, a young king being thrown into darkness by a cackling cosmic being. Gentle licks across your face in the real world saved you from the terrible visions and slowly you started to wake. Your hand reached out in a lazy gesture to stroke the jackal's head as he tried to wake you.

Kuriboh whimpered and snuggled closer to you as you opened your eyes. "Thanks for waking me, fluff ball," you said, using the nickname the creature approved of most as you continued to stroke him.

"I was just about to wake you myself, you seemed to be having terrible dreams."

You darted upright at the voice so fast that your still sleepy muscles stung in protest against the sudden action. When you looked over, the nameless pharaoh was back, sitting on the ground beside your sleeping pallet, legs stretched out and elbows supporting him as if he were lounging on a pile of silk cushions.

His lips turned up into that smirk of his, "Apologise, I did not mean to startle you."

"You were watching me sleep?" you mumbled, heat claiming your cheeks as you ran a hand over your face to wipe the haze of sleep away.

"For a bit. If I do not expend my energy to show myself to you, I dare say I could watch you almost all day."

You weren't sure if the words were meant to be a joke, or if he realized how creepy they sounded, but you tried to brush it off. Instead of replying, you stretched your arms over your head and tried to shake the last bit of sleep clinging to you. Kuriboh wasn't growling at the spirit this time, but you noticed the way he kept his eyes on the pharaoh and planted himself firmly on your lap as if to guard you.

With your throat feeling dry you reached out to the bucket beside your fire as well as the clay chipped cup you had in your shabby burlap travel bag. The water had a foul taste, but it was your only option here in this temple. The Nile and overgrown bushes bearing feeble fruit nearby had been the only source of sustenance for you and Kuriboh these past months.

You saw the nameless king shift to get a better look at you as you filled the class. "You're drinking water?" A ghostly hand reached out to hover near your wrist, as if to stop you from raising the cup. "Drinking from the Nile will make you sick, dearest one."

"I know, but I don't have anything else. I'm worried that if I leave the temple and go back to town for supplies, that I won't be able to come back."

It wasn't just that. A part of you feared that Heba could sense your presence in the temple and that if you left, he would worry that you'd never come back. Leaving, even if only for a day or two, felt like you were abandoning him.

"How have you been eating?" he asked, his voice the gentlest you had heard it so far.

"By the Nile just a few steps away from the temple there are some trees growing fruits. They're tart and not very healthy, but it's been enough to keep me going. I also managed to catch the occasional fish or two. Plus," you reached down and stroked Kuriboh's head, "he's been sure to hunt up some stuff in the desert too. Though I'll say that I prefer not to have to skin my dinner." You let out a little laugh but noticed that the pharaoh's face had fallen. He looked deep in thought, though he never took his eyes off of you.

You were starting to feel uneasy again and were about to ask him what was wrong, when he finally spoke. "You are sacrificing much to get him back."

In answer, you merely shrugged, "It's not as if I'd be much better off back in the city...Let's just say I'm used to not having much food." You found yourself averting your gaze, still a bit put off by the intensity of his own. "Besides, I own it to Heba not to leave. I don't care if I have to spend years here, I'll get him back."

Silence followed your proclamation for a moment, but eventually he said, tone low and almost unbelieving, "How did he earn such a devotion?"

You didn't answer at first, instead you stared, eyes unfocused and to the side for a few long moments. "It's odd. In a way, I haven't even known Heba that long. But he isn't like anyone I've ever met before. He's kind and selfless, he's smart and funny, but it isn't just that. He's given me so much and all he asked for in return was my friendship and he treated that friendship like it was the most treasured thing he has. Before him, I felt like I simply going through the motions of life with no real direction, always keeping others at arm's length. But Heba...he made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world."

After a moment more of silence, your eyes darted back up to the spirit and you saw his own fiery eyes wide as they looked you over in disbelief. No, not disbelief, more like the words had struck him deeply and he didn't know how to process it.

Finally, he closed his eyes, then stood up and said, "Come, follow me. If you are truly so devoted to Heba, then we can't have you getting sick from the Nile."

He ignored your confused noises and walked near the dais. When you gently slid Kuriboh off your lap and got up as well, he turned to face you again.

He pointed to the wall on the dais' right side and said, "There is a stone along that wall that will open one of the hidden chambers in this room, find it."

You raised an eyebrow at him but he kept his eyes and now stony expression on the wall without a word. Obeying, you started running your hand along the sandstone to feel for anything out of order. It wasn't hard to find and in less than a minute you found the block that could be pushed inward. When you did just that, the sound of stone scraping against stone echoed behind you. Turning, you saw that the floor on the right side of the dais was pulling back to reveal a hidden staircase.

"How many secret passages are there in this place?" you asked in wonder.

He was smirking again as he said, "Just one more, but I doubt you want to explore that one. Come, there are a few items down here that will be of use to you." He waved down the steps, as if to indicate for you to go first.

You grabbed your torch from the wall bracket and followed his instructions. When your fire illuminated the room as you stepped down the last step, you let out a small gasp. There were shelves full of a king's riches along the walls. Gold and jewels, by themselves as well as encrusting jewelry and other objects. There were racks hanging a few sets of fine clothes, plates of dried and preserved food, and rows of artfully painted jugs.

"Seth's sense of humor is cruel," the pharaoh began, standing just behind you, "Normally things like this are placed in a tomb so that we may enjoy them in the afterlife, he made this chamber to taunt me. A reminder of things I cannot have since I am neither living, nor dead." He walked over to the shelves bearing the food and jugs. "I am not sure if the food is still edible, even given the way they're preserved, but this will at least keep you from getting sick from the water." He waved at the jugs, "They're full of my most favorite wine, and unlike beer, wine only gets better with age."

"Wine?" you asked, having never heard the word before.

"A drink from the north. Only the rich can afford to buy it given how expensive it is to import, but I find it's sweet taste more pleasurable than beer," his smirk grew as he looked over his shoulder at you, "and I think you will prefer it to the murky water."

"I- I can't take this from you," you insisted, heat returning to your face and neck, "that would be robbing your grave! The highest offense someone could commit!"

"Not if I offer it to you," he interjected gently, "as I said, it does nothing but taunt me with what I can not have, besides..." he turned, took the few steps between you two and again bore his jewel-like eyes into you with intense emotion. "A pharaoh is meant to take care of his people, let me take care of you as much as I can in this form."

The heat got worse when you felt the cool ghost of his hand hovering near your cheek again. You tried to meet his eyes but swallowed hard as an uncomfortable feeling writhed in your chest. The smirk had turned to a gentler smile and after a few heart-pounding moments, he stepped away from you in favor of one of the clothing racks.

"I have also noticed how you shiver from the cold at night. Please, take this, it will help keep you warm." He waved his hand at a regal looking cloak. It had a clasp in the shape of an upside-down pyramid, and sported a rich purple color that you knew would have suited the pharaoh. "It was my most favorite garment, and it will be nice to see it used again," the king continued. He then took his gaze and trailed it slowly down your body, smirk back and much more...suggestive than before. "I also think it will look exquisite on you."

You couldn't help the way your hand darted up to your face to hide the blush on your cheeks. Kuriboh, who had been taking it upon himself to taste the edibility of the dried foods, was again growling at the spirit, not at all impressed with the flirtations.

You took a deep breath to calm the flutters in your chest, before saying, "Thank you, my pharaoh."

***

"No!"

Heba tried to tamp down the fire burning in his chest as he watched the scene in the magic mirror before him. He tried to remind himself that it wasn't your fault that the pharaoh was charming, that he couldn't blame you for blushing at the compliments, but he felt the sudden urge to hit something as he watched the two of you together. Heba wasn't used to the anger or jealousy, but he would be damned if he let another man sweep you off your feet! Especially when that man was lying to you and taking advantage of your loneliness!

The spirit had not returned to Heba since he set his eyes on you, so the young god had plenty of time to plot and plan. Heba was sure his jailer didn't know, but the longer he stayed away, the less control he seemed to have over Heba's imprisonment. The god could feel his power returning bit by bit, the hold the spirit had on him slipping and weakening. Heba had been working tirelessly to free himself, to make his way back to you. And when he did, he would give that smug little pharaoh a piece of his mind! How dare he take advantage of you, how dare he twist and manipulate both of you to fit his own possessive plot, how dare he just throw Heba aside like a boring toy and set his sight on you-

Heba faltered in his agitated pacing as the intrusive thought came to mind. Wait, was Heba annoyed that the spirit was ignoring him? No, that couldn't be! Heba admitted that a part of him (a large part) liked the king despite everything, but he had spent hours walking these halls by himself just to get away from the other man. And surely...surely he wasn't jealous of  _you_!

"My, she is quite a splendid woman. You have good taste, little one."

The sudden voice snapped Heba out of the confusing thoughts and he turned towards the bed to find the Nameless Pharaoh lounging there, content as a cat on a silk pile. Heba let out a growl at the spirit, almost giving in to the urge to punch him.

"Stay away from her! She's been through enough without you manipulating her!" Heba hissed.

The pharaoh quirked an eyebrow at him, "Manipulate? I've done no such thing. You should be thanking me, I did just give her my favorite cloak to keep warm at night, as well as enough drink to last her until she completes the puzzle."

Heba's face felt hotter than it ever had as he clenched his teeth so tight his jaw hurt. When he remained silent to that remark, the young king continued with a sigh.

"She is still quite devoted to you, but she seems quite taken with my charms."

Heba scoffed "Yeah, not abducting her was a good start!"

"Oh, are you still mad at me for that, my love?" The pharaoh got up from the bed and stepped close to Heba. The god did not back down and soon they weren't even a breath apart. "Was my action really so bad? I simply wanted to make sure you had the chance to get to know me." Heba's breath hitched when he felt a slender hand climb up his chest, "Honestly," the spirit whispered as his hand stopped at Heba's collarbone, "it's not as if I put you in chains. Though, I will admit, the idea of having a golden chain around your neck his very, very tempting."

Heba barely noticed how breathy his voice sounded as he said, "So you're just going to switch between me and her until you get what you want from one of us?"

"Oh, are you jealous, little one?" the smirk in his tone angered Heba, but he still didn't pull away as the pharaoh leaned in closer to his ear. "You needn't worry, I'm not opposed to the idea of having both of you at the same time. In fact, I prefer it," he purred, "such an arrangement would make everyone happy. You get each other back, and I have the love I've always wanted. I do want to make you both happy, after all."

Heba gasped when he felt lips press against his neck and the next moment he was shoving the other man away. The Nameless Pharaoh did not seem perturbed by the act and was merely smirked as Heba backed away from him.

"Let me out of here, then maybe we'll talk about how you want to make us happy."

"Not yet, my love. I'm well on my way to earning her heart, and I don't want you to interfere." His gaze softened then, smirk faltering as he looked Heba over. "She is very kind, did you hear how she promised to free me from my prison? Such a kind heart deserves to be cherished and I know now why I felt an instant connection to you both." The young king again closed the gap between the two of them and his eyes commanded Heba's to stay on him as he said, "I will win her over and maybe, after her and I have had plenty of time to build our love, maybe then I will let you out to rejoin us."

Heba lunged forward as the man before him dissolved into shadows. His breathing was shallow and ragged as he turned this way and that, hoping to catch the spirit, but he was gone. Confused feelings made the young god's headache and he wanted to scream or cry or- do something!

Forcing himself to take a few deep breaths, Heba turned back to the magic mirror, his only gateway to you. He would find a way out of his prison, one way or another.

***

You wouldn't say that Kuriboh liked the spirit of the pharaoh, but the protective jackal had at least gotten to the point where he no longer growled constantly at the man when he visited you.

Though he had to leave for hours at a time, the young king visited you every day now. He talked with you and asked about your life, seeming genuinely interested even after you told him you were a homeless street thief. He said that, though he did not approve of stealing by any of his people, he understood your need to survive and only wished that the reign of prosperity the temple walls told of had lasted after his death.

Moments like that were when the man could not seem to hide the sadness in his eyes. He always seemed to try his best in either keeping his expression stony, or sporting that cocky, almost teasing, almost flirtatious smirk. Despite that facade though, you saw the loss and the heartache underneath. You wished you could ask more about him, get to know him as he was getting to know you, but without his memories it was useless. Still, perhaps your company itself was enough for him in a way, just as his was with you.

He also made himself useful by giving advice on the puzzle you were constantly hard at work at. He would direct you to try a piece there, or turn one there to make it fit. He seemed to have a natural talent with the puzzle and you make quite a bit of good progress because of him.

The only thing you did not particularly like about his visits where his...odd moments. Sometimes while you talked, a fiery emotion seemed to flash in his eyes, fists clenched and jaw tight. Though he always seemed to recover himself quickly enough in those moments, twinges of fear still struck you for an instant, especially since you weren't sure what set him off each time. It wasn't just those flashes of emotion that set you on edge though. He was getting progressively more... flirtatious with each visit. You didn't like the blush that crept onto your cheeks when he mentioned how pretty you were, or the flutter in your chest that arose when he positioned himself so close to your body that you were sure you could feel his presence ghosting over your skin. Heba was the only man who had ever made your cheeks flush and chest flutter, and the feeling that you were betraying him persisted every time those sensations arose around the pharaoh.

A shiver ran down your spine, one that had nothing to do with the cool water of the reflecting pool. You couldn't help but feel paranoid whenever you bathed since the pharaoh told you that he had been watching you from the shadows since you and Heba arrived. You hoped that he would have the chivalry to cease his watching in these moments, but some part of you felt eyes burning across your bare skin as water droplets ran down every curve of your body.

Just to set your mind at ease, you looked around the dark cavern, hoping to spot that shift in the shadows you had noticed a few times before the spirit's random appearances. You saw nothing but the stone walls of the underground temple, cast in dancing firelight by the torches you set up along the walls. Still, even with that and the fact that Kuriboh was standing guard by the pool's edge and seemed undisturbed, you couldn't shake the feeling.

With a sigh, you closed your eyes and filled your jug full of water again, before lifting it and pouring the cleansing contends over your hair and body. After wringing out your hair, you stepped out of the pool flanked by Seth's animal statues and patted the excess water from your body with a cloth. Your jackal companion bounded to your side as you pulled the cloak the pharaoh had given you over your body, grabbed a basket, and headed up the stairs to the temple's surface.

It was a short walk to the Nile and the few under kempt trees that had helped feed you these past months, but the day's sun felt nice against your still-damp skin as you walked. It dried your hair and made you feel refreshed as you picked dates for that day's meal. Despite everything, moments like this felt...quite peaceful. You allowed yourself a moment to daydream, to think about a scenario where these trees were healthier, taken care of by you and Heba. The temple could be your home, you two could play in the Nile with Kuriboh and plant food in the fertile stretch of soil by the water. The young pharaoh would be your companion, nights filled with talk and the games both men seemed to like. You could take day trips to town when the isolation became too much, and sell the plants and food you grew to buy each other gifts and treats. Heba could aid you in finding a way to help the pharaoh, find a way to free his spirit and give his soul the afterlife he deserved.

It was a nice daydream.

When you and Kuriboh returned to the underground with food in hand, you couldn't help but feel as though you were walking back into darkness and said shadows stole away your happy daydream in the sun. No wonder the pharaoh had flashes of mad emotion, such pressing darkness could leave anyone feeling crazed after awhile.

After eating the humble meal you and Kuriboh played for a short while (something you two often did to keep your spirits high), before you finally settled down to work on the puzzle again.

Not much time passed of touching the cold pieces of gold together before someone else joined you. A gasp left your lips when something brushed against your ear and a whisper said, "You seem to be in higher spirits tonight, dearest one."

You turned and met the ruby eyes of the cursed king- and wanted to shiver at the way he was smiling at you. Though this time, it wasn't an all unpleasant shiver.

"Good evening, pharaoh," you managed with only a slight quiver in your voice. To avoid an awkward silence you continued with, "Yes, I suppose I am. A walk by the Nile helped refresh me."

His (dare you say seductive) smirk turned into a genuine smile at that. "Good, I would hate for you to spend all your time in this depressing tomb." He reached out then, his fingers hovering near your still damp strands of hair. "I am glad to see you're taking care of yourself, I'm sure your bath helped as well."

Heat rushed to your face and you turned away to set your gaze back on the golden puzzle splayed out before you. "Y-yes, it did." You had to tell yourself twice that he only knew about your bath because of your damp hair and not because your paranoias had been warranted.

Light conversation took over after that, though he did not move from his position close behind you as you worked. You tried to ignore the heat in your chest as his baritone voice seemed to drift closer and closer to your ear as he talked with you. The intimacy his tone seemed to convey made it hard to concentrate and soon enough you were stumbling over the puzzle pieces more than usual.

You let out a frustrated sigh, before realizing that you hadn't quite heard the pharaoh's last question in the midst of your hopeless work. You opened your mouth to apologize, but the words turned into a gasp when you felt arms sliding along yours and a firm chest press against your back.

"Here, allow me to help," he whispered in your ear and the heat in your face and chest felt like an inferno.

His hands closed around yours and started guiding your fingers over the puzzle. The odd almost-there, almost-ghostly presences of his body caging yours was just like when he had touched your cheek, and you wondered how hard it was for him to touch you in his current form. Barely a minute ticked by before he found a home for another piece of the puzzle and you mumbled a 'thank you' under your breath.

He waited a beat, then he slowly started sliding his hands up your arms, his fingers leaving goosebumps in their wake as they trailed from your wrists to your shoulders. Then, you felt the unmistakable feel of lips pressing to your ear.

"You truly do look exquisite in my cloak, have I told you that recently?"

You swore your heart stopped altogether when you realized that you hadn't fully dressed after your bath. The purple cloak was wrapped and clasped around your body like a robe, but you wore nothing underneath. Your heart sped up again as a hand took hold of your chin, firm and commanding, and turned your face to the pharaoh's. His eyes were half-lidded as he stared down at you, their crimson irises seeming to trace every millimeter of your face.

"Would you allow me to give you another gift, my love?"

You could only seem to swallow air in response, your mind had gone fuzzy and you couldn't think of anything but the closeness of his body and suggestion playing in his eyes with equal parts horror and excitement.

He didn't wait for your response, slowly, carefully, he started to lean in, his eyes fluttering closed as his lips crept closer and closer to yours. A gasp was swallowed as his mouth claimed you, firm and unyielding. His hand was gentle as he cupped your face and moaned against your lips. Finally, you actually managed to regain enough control to think about pushing him away- but both of you stopped when a blinding light burst to life right beside you!

Before you could even open your eyes against the light, arms wrapped around you tight and possessive, yanking you away from one firm chest and against another. The light faded and you looked up to see Heba, his eyes alight with jealous rage as he started the pharaoh down with his teeth bared.

"Don't touch her!" Heba yelled, and a few delighted, righteous barks from Kuriboh mingled with the man's anger.

You couldn't believe your eyes as you stared up at the man you had loved and lost in less than a day. Had you finally gone mad, or was he truly back? Yes, he had to be, his arms around you felt just as real as the night he held you while kissing you for the first time in that very temple. As he lifted you off the ground and stood before the pharaoh with a challenge in his eyes, you heard the spirit chuckle at Heba's demand.

"My my, you're a resourceful one, aren't you, Heba? I never thought you could escape the puzzle on your own."

"Sad your efforts didn't pay off?" Heba asked and you felt confused as you finally made yourself take your eyes off of Heba and look back at the pharaoh.

He was smirking at you two, either amused by Heba's anger or thriving off the conflict arising- or more likely, both. "Efforts? What's he talking about? What's going on?" you demanded as firmly as you could.

"He's been lying to you this whole time!" Heba answered, "He was the one who trapped me in the puzzle. He wanted to make me love him but when I stayed loyal to you, he decided to try seducing you instead, all while keeping me locked away! He's deceived you since the beginning!"

The pharaoh's eyes narrowed at the comment, though he still held on to his amused smirk as he said, "Oh, I'm the deceiver? What about you, little one? You haven't told her who you truly are, have you?"

You feared you might get whiplash with how fast your head turned back to Heba, "What does he mean by that, Heba?"

When his eyes only stayed on yours for a moment before closing and turning away from you in shame, the pharaoh was the one who spoke up with a mockingly disappointed 'tisk tisk' sound. "He hid it from you the entire time he fell in love with you. You see, dearest one, your beloved Heba isn't of this world, less so than I even am. He's a god!"

"I never meant to hide it from her!" Heba cut in, the glare he had on the king softening as he looked back at you. "I was going to tell you, I swear I just- I didn't know how!"

Your head felt too full, so much was coming at you and happening all at once. You stepped out of Heba's arms and looked between both men with confused astonishment. The moment you did, Heba's heartbroken eyes refilled with anger as they snapped back to the pharaoh.

"At least I'm not a mad spirit who keeps people against their will!"

"I never lied to her about who I was, and wasn't I patient and gentle with you while you were under my care, Heba? I did everything I could to make you love me, though now that I've gotten to know her, I can see why you would stay so loyal to her." He actually chuckled then, "But I dare say I've made much more headway in my time with her than you have." The king's eyes flicked to you again and he held out his hand. "Come with me, dearest one, and I promise I'll show you how a true man treats his love."

"A true man?!" Heba shouted, "You'd have to trap her in your prison just to touch her for more than a minute!" the man's lavender eyes turned pleading as he took a step closer to you. "I never meant to lie but I promise I'll do everything I can to make you happy- just please, don't give in to his lies!"

"What a hypocrite you are, Heba, how can you make her happy when it took you so long to simply kiss her-"

"Both of you, shut up!"

Both men froze at your sudden shout and even Kuriboh tucked his ears back at the outburst. When they turned to you with wide eyes, you let out a sigh and put your hands on your hips, done with all this nonsense.

"I think both of you are idiots! You," your finger jabbed accusingly in Heba's direction, causing him to look like a scolded puppy, "I knew something was different about you from the start, but a god? Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me? Was befriending me and making me love you just some- some game to entertain you?!"

Heba looked more than horrified at the implication, "No! It was never like that, I love you- I've loved you since the moment I met you!"

"And you," your anger doubled as you turned your accusatory finger towards the pharaoh, whose smug smirk instantly fell at your ire. "What kind of man acts so selfishly? I understand the need for companionship, believe me, I do, but you should be ashamed. That isn't the man I know you could be, that isn't the man these walls speak so highly of!"

The spirit gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at you just slightly, but said nothing. When a few long moments of heavy silence passed and neither man spoke, seeming almost deflated after the argument's standstill. You let out a breath, feeling your anger subside as well. Opening your mouth, you meant to move on to words with a more peaceful effect, but the words seemed to freeze on your tongue when a fourth voice cut in.

"How disappointing! Things were looking promising there for a moment, but I truly thought there were be more bloodshed."

All eyes snapped in the direction of the taunting remark, landing on a man with dark hair curled around a sharp face, and eyes as dark as a bottomless pit. He wore dark regal clothing and was leaning against the doorframe of the room as he looked the scene over with disappointment.

Both Heba and the pharaoh whispered the same name as they looked at the man with wary caution, "Seth."

Seth? The lord of chaos? You felt another shiver crawl down your spine, a further confirmation that this man was radiating misery and despair.

"Here I am, going to all the trouble to lure you two here so you can play with my pet, and what do I get?" Seth scolded as he shrugged off the door frame and started towards your trio. "I get months of boring talks of love and loyalty," he said the last words with a sneering tone of mockery, as if the subjects sickened him. His dark eyes trailed your body up and down for a moment, "Honestly I'm not sure what they both see in you, you're a rather plain mortal as far as I can tell."

An angry heat rose to your cheeks and you took a step forward- but Heba grabbed you from behind and held the fist that had been rising firmly to your side.

Seth seemed unperturbed by the act and cast his bored gaze on the pharaoh, who looked like a lion being backed into a corner under the god's gaze. "As for you, my pet, I would have thought the shadows would have corrupted you more fully by now. I expected you to have fun toying with them, twisting them to your darkest desires, then disposing of them when you were done." The god circled the pharaoh as he spoke, making the spirit wither slightly despite his effort to stand tall against his eternal tormentor. "It would have been a tragedy worthy of song!" Seth's lilting voice turned flat with a sigh, "But no, you had to go and get attached to them. Ah well, you three might still entertain me yet."

At that, Seth slid behind the pharaoh, placing deceivingly gentle hands on his shoulders and leaning into his ear.

"I want to make a deal with you, Nameless Pharaoh." The god's eyes stayed on you and Heba as he said, "Kill the two of them, and I'll give you your freedom back."

The pharaoh's eyes went wide at the offer, and his mouth dropped when Seth summoned a puff of black smoke and an ornate saber appeared in his hands.

"You can finally move on to your afterlife, my pet. You can have the kingdom you deserve, your memories restored, and all who loved you by your side again. All you have to do is put a tragic end to the love birds."

"No!" Heba yelled, again baring his teeth, "He won't listen to you, he would never do something like-"

You and Heba both gasped as the stone by your feet cracked and chains shot up from the debris. The black metal snaked around you both, biting into your skin as they pulled you and Heba apart and dragging you to the ground in kneeling positions. Kuriboh was going wild with barks and growls, but more chains burst from the ground, pinning the jackal down with a pained yelp. When you opened your mouth to curse at the god the chains coiled around your mouth like a gag. You and Heba fought but it only accomplished an amused chuckle from Seth.

"There you are, Pharaoh, they are bound and ready for execution," Seth guided the man's hand until they gripped the hilt of the sword firmly, "all you have to do, is carry out their sentence."

The young king stayed silent and still, even when Seth backed away, his eyes wide as they traveled up the shining blade of the saber. You could see the thoughts playing in his eyes. Freedom. The end to his torment was within reach. He could finally be rid of this place and the tortures you could only imagine he went through. Then, the spirit's ruby gaze darted up to you and Heba, and you could only look back at him with wide pleading eyes.

He only gazed at the two of you for a moment, before setting his jaw into a hard line, standing up straight- and throwing the weapon to the ground with a clatter.

"You may have manipulated me once, Lord of Chaos, but I will not be taken in by your plots again." He turned to look at the shocked god behind him, "Give me whatever punishment you wish. I am a proud King of Egypt and I will endure an eternity of your torture before I spill the blood of my people!"

Seth let out a roar of pure outrage as he glared at the noble man, "No! No no no! Why have you three disappointed me at every turn? You were supposed to destroy each other!"

You couldn't help but feel sickened at the god's practically petulant display, but also worried at what he might do to the pharaoh in his rage. Then, Seth let out another angry cry, before disappearing in a puff of black. As he went, so too did the chains binding you and Heba. They fell away, dissolving into black mist and only leaving nasty red marks on skin in their wake. Kuriboh was freed as well and immediately bounded up to you two, sniffing you both over as if to check if you were alright.

As you and Heba got to your feet, the pharaoh turned to look at the two of you, his eyes full of confusion and questions. However, before any of you could speak, the smell of lotus blossoms filled the air and yet another voice called out to your trio.

"Well done you three! I knew you wouldn't let me down."

You looked over by the dais in the room, and there she was, the unearthly beauty who had told you how to free Heba. Kuriboh let out a happy noise and ran up to the woman, leaping into her arms. Somehow her appearance didn't surprise you, what did, were the words that came out of Heba's mouth at the sight of her.

"Mother? What are you doing here, what's going on?"

"Mother?!" you and the pharaoh echoed.

Heba looked suddenly abashed as he looked back at you two, "Uh, yeah, I guess I never mentioned that Hathor is my mother."

"And I knew that my son inherited my romantic heart," the goddess said with a proud smile. "You see, I took notice when our dastardly lord of chaos started paying close attention to Heba's adventure on earth. He thought he would make a game out of your love for each other and manipulated events that lead you here to this temple."

You felt a shameful heat crawl over your skin as you remembered that you were the one who had found the map and insisted on finding this place with Heba. Still, Hathor went on with her tale.

"He thought that his tortures on the pharaoh would have driven him completely mad by now, he thought that the king would be a vengeful spirit fixated on chaos like he himself is. I, however, knew better." Hathor gave a sweet, proud smile as she looked each of you over in turn, petting Kuriboh's head soothingly. "I saw the potential for love between the three of you and I knew your hearts would remain pure during Seth's plots. So I made a bet with him. If the three of you refused to turn on each other even after our tests, he would leave the three of you be."

"You did that for us, mother?" Heba said in a low, soft tone.

"Of course! Any day I can get one over on him is a good day, I'll have bragging rights for at least a century or two." Her crystalline eyes seemed to sharpen then, "but that is not all I won. I made him agree to give his power over the Nameless Pharaoh, to me."

You didn't miss the way the king in question stiffed at the words, or the way his eyes narrowed at the goddess. She noticed it as well, apparently, and let out a melodic laugh.

"Don't fret, my handsome young king. I have no intention of twisting you to my desires as Seth did. No, not when you chose love over everything else." Hathor took gracious, regal steps closer to the three of you, though her eyes stayed fixed on the pharaoh. "You may have been corrupted by the shadows a bit, my sweet, don't think I didn't see the way you imprisoned my son. But, in the end, you proved that you are still that kind, noble king who would endure anything for his people. The world may have forgotten you, and you may not be a king in this world again, but I can give you this. I can give you your freedom, your body, but most importantly, your memories back to you." The pharaoh's eyes were wide and glistening with brimming tears as she lifted her bejeweled hand and cupped his face. She leaned in, her lips hovering over his forehead as she whispered, "Your name, is Atem."

The moment her full ruby lips touched his forehead, a blinding light burst to life all around you. The light was warm and inviting, but it still took a moment before you were able to open your eyes again. When you did, the pharaoh- Atem, was gone. The thing that more immediately drew your attention though, was the fact that the room or perhaps the whole temple was rapidly being taken over by vines! They stretched across the walls like an earthly spiderweb, dripping water and blooming lotus blossoms. Hathor still stood there, smiling at you and Heba as you both watched on in wonder.

"It will take some time for the magic to finish its task, but that gives me a chance to talk to the two of you alone," the goddess started. She stepped closer to Heba and placed Kuriboh in his arms as she smiled at you. "You stayed loyal to my son even after months of frustration and heartache, that alone is a love worthy of song. And you," she turned her sights back on Heba, "I always knew your heart was large enough for two. No matter how your feelings towards Atem changed to love, you still never wavered in your love for her either."

Heba's eyes went wide in horror at his mother's words and he looked over at you as if to explain himself, but Hathor cut him off.

"No need to worry, my son, she has had to contend with her own feelings for Atem, but again, her love for you never diminished. Neither of you needs to hide it, embrace your love and all will be well."

It was your turn to blush at the goddess words, feeling outed and exposed, despite the assurances. Heba bit his lip, looking thoughtful, before turning to look his mother in the eyes.

"You said that you made a bet with Seth, what were you willing to give him if you lost?"

For a moment, the goddess simply looked back at her son. Then, she smiled, leaned in, and kissed his forehead. "No need to worry about that, my sweet. Now, in exchange for helping the three of you, I will ask something in return."

"And what's that?" you asked quietly, speaking for the first time in what felt like ages.

Her eyes slid to yours with a knowing smile on her lips, "Oh, I'm sure you three will think of some way to repay me. Your daydream can become a reality now, my dear." She turned on her heel then and started her graceful steps towards the dais. "Take care of each other and promise to honor my patrons by making love every day! Farewell for now!"

You and Heba both blanched at her last remark as the goddess vanished is a wash of pink. When she was gone, you and Heba looked at each other, mirroring blushes and you knew you were both thinking the same thing.

Those thoughts couldn't linger long though, because the ground started to shake, startling you both! There, beside the dais, on the other side of the trap door Atem had shown you, another hole in the floor cracked open. More of those vines sprouting lotus blossoms sprang out from the last hidden chamber and you could hear muffled cries echoing from below.

You and Heba ran to it and were met with the golden lid of a sarcophagus rattling and shaking even as the vines and flowers coiled out from under the lid. Without a word, you and Heba jumped into the pit on either side of the gold burial box and started working to lift the heavy ornate lid.

The moment it was lifted just a bit, fingers sprang from the opening and curled around the lid to aid the lifting. Together you were able to get it off of the base and when you looked inside, you saw a man bound in mummy wrappings with the plants growing under him. His hands sprang up to his head, clawing at the bandages, and within seconds, Atem's handsome face was revealed to you and Heba.

He was breathing heavily and half of the wrappings still twisted around his face, but his eyes opened and the moment he saw the both of you, he sighed with relief and leaned back against the bed of vines and flowers growing beneath him. His eyes weren't the intense red that you had seen in the spirit twisted by darkness, they were a beautiful purple not unlike Heba's. The smile he gave the two of you was warm and thankful and bright and- and laying there, surrounded by the lotuses symbolizing his rebirth, you couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked.

"Atem you're- you're," Heba started, but couldn't seem to find the words.

Atem nodded and patted his hand to his still heaving chest, "Yes, I- I'm alive!" With that, he sat up and looked between you and Heba with eyes wide and excited. His hands reached out slowly, one set of fingers touching your cheek, and the other brushing Heba's. "I can touch, I can feel, I- I-"

You and Heba leaned forward together when you saw the tears springing to Atem's eyes. Together you whispered reassuring words to him and rubbed his back, telling him to take his time, to take deep breaths and let the reality of his return to life sink in.

Long moments of that passed before Atem's breathing and overwhelmed tears calmed. When they did he looked between the two of you, seeming almost heartbroken as he said, "I remember everything. Who I was, how I ruled, letting myself get tricked by Seth. I remember all of it. I...I also remember what happened afterward...how I treated the two of you." He swallowed thickly, "I'm sorry. I'm ashamed of what I did, I should have never let the shadows twist me into that- that thing. But still, the two of you are here, with me. Please, if you can find it in your hearts to forgive me..."

Heba gave a little sniffle as he smiled back at Atem and you said, "Don't be ridiculous, Atem, we already have."

He returned your smiles at the assurance and let out a deep, relieved chuckle as he thanked you both. The next moment you and Heba were taking the pharaoh's hands and helping him out of his sarcophagus. A few more tender words passed between the three of you as you and Heba helped Atem get free from his burial wrappings. Underneath he was wearing the same regal clothes he had donned in his spirit form, though they seemed to be dirtied with time. Eventually though, when the shock of all that had happened passed, there came a question.

"So, what now?" Heba asked, looking between you and Atem with some worry playing in his large eyes. "Mother said that you wouldn't be king again, Atem, but you have your body and freedom back now."

Atem thought for a long moment, before looking back up at the two of you, "I do not know what the two of you are planning next with your lives, but, if it is alright, I'd like to stay with you."

At the words, Heba looked at you, a silent question in his eyes. "I meant what I said before, I've loved you since the moment I met you, and I want to stay here on earth. I..." he suddenly looked abashed, "I want to admit that the  _other_  thing mother mentioned is also true...But I'm not sure where to go from here."

You almost chuckled at the confused look Atem gave Heba at the last cryptic bit to his words, but something else Hathor had said came back to your mind.  _"Your daydream can become a reality now."_

"...I think I have an idea..."

***

Since its arrival at Seth's hand, no mortal had ever paid any mind to the temple laying in the desert a long walk from town. Either by the god's magic or the uncaring nature of mortals, no one even seemed to realize it existed. Until now, at least. It was all the town could talk about for weeks, a temple splendid and beautiful, had seemed to pop out of the sand and into existence overnight! Travelers who came to town were the ones who made its presence known first, telling a tale of the kind hosts who took them in for the night and gave them shelter and food.

"A beautiful place with the most lovely paintings on the walls," a messenger from the capital said, her eyes alight with the memory.

"The woman there was not a bad site for these tired eyes either!" An old potter proclaimed with a wistful sigh.

"There's only three of them, but they're so kind and generous. Even the jackal hanging about wanted to play with me! I'll have to thank them again on my way out of town," another wandering merchant told with a bright smile.

Nothing but niceties was told about the new temple and its residences, and though each teller took notice to different things about their stay there, one truth was a constant. The temple and its caretakers were there in Hathor's honor. It was a temple dedicated to love and childbirth, fertility and devotion.

It wasn't long before some in the town took a day to travel to this mysterious temple. It truly was done up beautifully and the hosts were indeed kind and welcoming. The colonnade outside the front doors was a welcomed shelter from the hot sun and gave visitors a chance to look out at the Nile's water and the beautiful trees beside it bearing full and healthy fruit, a picturesque scene that calmed and soothed onlookers. Colorful cloth drapes hung from the walls inside the temple, though not obscuring the stories painted there, giving it a delicate, inviting air as you walked inside.

Not long after that, young lovers seeking to have their union blessed traveled to the temple of Hathor. Couples wanting to grow their family came to ask for the goddess help and to watch other the pregnancy. Young children would often come with their parents to give offerings and tokens to the temple as a thank you for their blessings. With all of this, the three caretakers of the temple helped all they could and graciously accepted the offerings with thanks.

One of the men who lived there was a mysterious youth, with a handsome face and commanding presence. The regal cadence of his baritone voice made some wonder if the had been a noble before devoting his life to the goddess of love and birth. When others saw the way he looked at his fellow caretakers with the utmost smitten look, they wove rumors of him throwing his riches and noble birth aside to be with the ones he loved.

The other man was a bright, joyful youth who was the most likely to give the visitors Hathor's blessings. He gave couples advice on love and caring for their young, and in the cases of a pregnancy ending in tragedy, he was a welcoming shoulder to cry on and when he assured that their child's soul would be taken care of in the afterlife, they couldn't help but believe him. The visitors could never discern if he was engaged in a romantic tryst with the possible ex-noble or their female companion.

Out of the three, the children seemed like the female caretaker the most. She would tell them stories of a mortal and a young god who fell in love and went on adventures together. The tales usually included a prince of shadows who tried to trick the lovers at every turn and once he even snatched the young god away in a fit of jealousy! But her stories always had a happy ending. The young god and the mortal brightened the shadow prince's heart and together the three had even more adventures together.

The town's people weren't sure when or how this temple came to be, but they were thankful for the blessings its priests gave them.

"I bet the shadow prince is handsome!" a tiny girl of ten said with a dreamy sigh.

Her younger brother made a sour face, "Yuk! Who wants to hear about that! I wanna hear more about how the god tricked the sphinx with its own riddle! Bet the beast got mad at being tricked and had to fight the two."

You giggled down at the two children as the girl glared at her brother. You loved occupying the little ones when they were brought to the temple by their parents, they never failed to make you smile. You were about to say something that would placate both children, but the next moment a mature, feminine voice called out.

"Come now, I think that's enough stories for today," their mother said with her own chuckle.

Atem walked beside her as they approached you and the two children and you instantly noticed the look of worry on his face. "Are you sure I can not convince you to stay for a while? The sun is only likely to get hotter in the next hour." Atem's eyes darted down to the woman's small but noticeable belly, worried for the health of the mother and growing child.

The woman chuckled. "No need to worry, I'll be fine now that I have this remedy to stop my pains." she waved the small pouch full of the herbs Heba always made sure to keep on hand for expecting mothers. She then held her hand out to her other two children, who hopped to their feet and went to her side. "Thank you again for all of your help. I'll be sure to bring some sweet bread on my next visit." She gave the two of you a warm smile as she turned to leave.

"Bye bye!" the young boy called, "Promise to finish your story next time we visit?"

"Promise," you smiled back with a wave.

The little girl waved enthusiastically. "We'll make sure to tell Anya you said hi, bye!"

You and Atem watched in the temple doorway for a while to make sure the three were fine as the left for town. When they were out of sight Atem let out a small sigh and took your hand in his.

"I wish you wouldn't keep calling me the prince of shadows in your stories, it makes me sound so...despicable."

You giggled at the prominent pout on Atem's face as he said the words, "Aw but didn't you hear? She bets that the shadow prince is handsome."

Another giggle left you as he blushed at the word and you couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek. "If Heba were here, he would be on my side," Atem mumbled.

"Whoever said I wasn't on your side?" you teased, but ended with a sigh of your own and leaned your head on his shoulder. "I do wish he would come home soon though." Heba tried to keep his visits to the godly plane short and infrequent, but they couldn't be avoided sometimes and the two of you always felt his absence while he was away.

Quickly enough, Atem squeezed your hand affectionately and started tugging you down the pathway leading to the Nile. "Come, let's take a walk together."

You didn't protest and let him take you down the walkway, never relinquishing his hand as you went. Your daydream by the Nile the day everything changed really had come true. There was a small garden you three tended growing beside the river, the trees were healthy and heavy with tasteful fruit. It had taken a while to get the temple homey and inviting, but you were happy with the visitors who came when you managed it. Hathor was also pleased with the way you chose to honor her help against Seth, according to Heba, and the prosperous land around you showed that.

You and Atem enjoyed the walk together and picked some fruits for dinner as you did. Unfortunately for your lover, an idea struck you when you started to get a bit bored.

"Atem, do you see something in the water?" you asked, leaning over the bank to peer into the ripples.

He leaned over as well, "I don't see anything."

"Look closer, right there," you pointed to a spot, causing him to lean further out, overextending his reach just as you planned.

He gave a surprised gasp when you shoved him into the river with a howl of laughter. You doubled over when he scrambled to right himself, spluttering in a notably unregal way as he did so. When he was finally sitting upright, breast-deep in the water, he glared up at your still giggling form.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist! I did the same thing to Heba when we first came here and I figured I had to be fair." You bit your lip to stifle the giggles as his expression didn't change. "I'm sorry, are you mad at me?" you batted your lashes at him in an attempt to gain forgiveness.

Then, Atem was smirking, "Not as mad as you're going to be."

"Huh-?" You cried out as something pushed against your back and sent you sailing over the edge into the Nile!

You were sure you look even more frantic than Atem had as you kicked within the water. When your head broke the surface you heard the familiar chuckles of two men. When you pushed the curtains of your drenched hair back you saw Heba and Kuriboh standing at the water's edge looking quite pleased with themselves as Atem enjoyed the show.

"Well, I guess I did deserve that," you sighed as Atem's strong arms coiled around you from behind.

Heba wasted no more time and jumped into the water after you two- though he made sure to take his tunic off before doing so. As the water splashed over the both of you, you felt Atem turn your chin to look at him.

"I think I deserve a kiss as penance for that little trick of yours, dearest one."

Though you wouldn't even consider protesting, his inner shadow prince came out a bit as he claimed your lips. His hands tangled in your wet hair as he held you firm against him and he let out a satisfied moan as he started to pull away.

"Hey, I'm the one who just came back from a trip," Heba said with a fake pout, "Shouldn't I be receiving the kisses?"

You laughed at Heba's "demand" as Atem apologized for not giving him a proper welcome. Wrapping an arm around Heba's shoulder, you pulled him in for a kiss first and delighted in the way he wrapped you and Atem up in his arms, water splashing over all three of you with every movement. Atem grabbed the back of Heba's neck the moment he turned to him and he pulled the young god in for a kiss worthy of a welcome home.

The town's people could have their rumors and wonders of what exactly went on between the three of you. Moments like this were all that truly mattered. Moments like this, side by side, free, happy, and most importantly, in love. Never forced or manipulated, but genuine and sweet, together.

 


End file.
